Maksim Natchuk and Matvey Vasiliev, students of St. Petersburg Mining University, have developed a prototype of mixed reality (MR) glasses, which, according to experts, have all chances to be put into production. Their main distinguishing feature is their low cost as compared with Western analogues, which increases the likelihood of mass use of this technology in the industry.
According to the authors of the project the structures dealing with repair of different equipment, such as pumps or casing, as well as measuring works can be potential customers of the innovation. Information required for their quality performance will be displayed on the microdisplay and read by the retina.
"Let's say you need to determine the pressure or temperature in a gushing well. In the corner of your glasses you will see the data of previous measurements and the set critical values, that is, you will be able to quickly analyze the results and understand if the work cycle is not disturbed. In case of repair of any units, similarly before you there will be the instruction on sequence of these or those actions. In other words, we are talking at least about a significant saving of time which is now spent on opening a notebook or turning on a computer, finding the necessary information and making the most informed decision," Maxim Nattschuk explained.
Another advantage of this innovation is the ability to monitor the actions of young employees. If necessary, video from the camera embedded into the glasses, as well as readings displayed on their screen, get to the monitor of the operator - a more experienced specialist. And he will correct the actions of his colleague in the online mode if he makes a mistake.
The development of the students of the Mining University, which was among the ten best startups according to the results of the gas pedal held within the framework of the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform, is already a product ready for commercialization. However, the process of its improvement is still ongoing. Recently, the authors designed a special bracket that allows fixing mixed reality glasses to a construction helmet. And now they are working on creating and integrating a voice assistant, which will make the project even more useful for consumers.
"Of course, a voice assistant using machine learning technology will increase the functionality of our glasses. Let's say I need to quickly find out the thermodynamic characteristics of ethylbenzene or some other substance, and I have my hands full. I give the command, and immediately I see the corresponding values on the screen. By the way, the microdisplay we use has a very good resolution, which is its undoubted competitive advantage - 980 by 640 pixels, that is over 3 million pixels per inch. This value is higher than 2K," said Maxim Natchuk.
He specified that he has collected in partnership with his classmate not one, but three prototypes, which differ from each other in configuration, memory capacity, software, and the number of screens. This means that in the foreseeable future, customers of this product will be able to buy either cheaper models, or richer in their capabilities. For example, with gesture control support.
"The main advantage of these MR glasses is that they have the prospect of rapid integration into existing systems in industrial plants. This is achieved by eliminating unnecessary options for the consumer, which are used in the mass production segment. So we end up with a simpler and cheaper device that has exactly the functionality the customer needs. No more and no less," said Yury Zhukovsky, the Director of the Educational and Scientific Center of Digital Technologies of the Saint Petersburg Mining University, where the innovation was tested and assembled.
In his opinion, today this kind of technology is not very popular not only because of its high cost, but also because people are not quite aware of the specific tasks that they may and should be used for. If certain social or professional communities understand this, then MR glasses will be much more accessible and useful. For now, talk about the introduction of these gadgets into the masses and their chances to displace smartphones from the market is only hypothetical.
