Wisconsin manufacturers are using AI to back up engineers and technicians in the field, supporting other technologies such as augmented reality and interactive databases.
And even more advanced applications are planned for the near future, panelists said yesterday at this year’s Wisconsin Tech Summit, held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council.
Trey Taylor, director of digital innovation for Fairbanks Morse Defense in Beloit, discussed the naval engine supplier’s use of AI in products for the U.S. military. By running signals from large diesel engines used by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy through an artificial intelligence program, the company provides recommendations to engine operators for reactive maintenance.
The program can alert users at a computer terminal or those wearing augmented reality goggles to a potential system issue. For the AR application, which Taylor described as “mixed reality,” a digital display pops up showing machine readouts in the user’s visual field, providing all the information they need to fix the problem and test the solution.
“Typically our business model has been, it breaks, that ship goes to port, we fly a field service team out, we do a week’s worth of work and we’re beholden to the Navy’s schedule and their mission to fix that problem,” he said.
Using the new AI approach, the company can provide the support and information needed by its customers to fix the problem themselves. And Fairbanks Morse Defense specialists in Beloit can participate remotely in the repair process.
“It’s a huge cost savings for the Navy, it’s a huge cost savings for the taxpayer,” Taylor said. “It’s actually cost-beneficial to us, I’m able to charge the same rate for the field service guide that’s riding shotgun. But I don’t have any travel costs, I don’t have any waiting time.”
Meanwhile, Duxxbak Composite Decking President Brandon Beard said the Green Bay company is implementing AI to make its technical resources easier to use. The business manufactures deck materials, railings and other related accessories.
While the company provides a wide array of manuals and procedure documents, Beard noted people doing maintenance work aren’t likely to page through those resources to find the specific information they need.
“We’re taking all those manuals, dumping them into a database, so that our maintenance person can query in their own language the problem they’re experiencing and then use the database to provide them the answer as quickly as possible,” he said. “That’s extremely valuable to them.”
