offshore staff

SINGAPORE — Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M), in partnership with M1 Ltd., has deployed 5G augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) smart glasses at its shipyard in Singapore, a first in the Southeast Asian maritime industry . The pilot project is part of Keppel O&M’s strategy to leverage digitization and virtual technology to improve the efficiency of remote operations for its tech-enabled workforce.

The project received a grant from IMDA’s 5G Innovation Program for the development of virtual platform solutions.

Smart Glasses has multiple applications: it can be implemented in different phases of the construction of a project, as well as to optimize the use of resources in shipyard environments. Versatile virtual platform solutions such as smart glasses can help improve the overall efficiency of production processes in the maritime industry, Keppel said.

Equipped with a camera lens, microphone, microspeaker, and cellular or Wi-Fi reception, the smart glasses are powered by software that can perform real-time analysis and provide data to the wearer. The device also allows the user to communicate with a receiver or control room. Smart glasses are also equipped with a microprojector, which can project a digital overlay of text and images within the wearer’s field of vision.

Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M, said: “Keppel O&M is pleased to partner with M1 to harness digital technologies to improve yard operations and safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when safe management measures limited physical inspections and site surveys, we were the first to officially conduct remote inspections for a new-build vessel with a classification society using smart glasses. Today, we are further expanding its use not only to improve project delivery efficiency and improve yard operations, but also to expand our capabilities to deliver digital solutions for our customers’ assets.”

Keppel O&M worked with M1 to test smart glasses applications, leveraging M1’s high-speed, low-latency 5G connectivity to enable faster and more effective responses.

Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1, said: “Through M1’s strong 5G network, Smart Glasses can provide [a] Immersive, high-bandwidth AR/VR environment that enables highly detailed renderings and real-time information to be transmitted to users and control centers. The successful introduction of the Smart Glasses solution at Keppel O&M is a useful test case that can be scaled and replicated to increase operational efficiency and safety in businesses and industries.”

Through partnerships with IMDA, M1 and technology experts, Keppel O&M aims to develop and commercialize 5G-enabled solutions for the maritime sector.

The smart glasses and their enhanced features are being tested in the following areas of Keppel O&M:

1. Site inspection: Smart Glasses are used to digitize the asset inspection and maintenance process. Inspection personnel wearing smart glasses can view work instructions that can be controlled via voice commands through the display headset. This replaces labor intensive manual check sheets and drawings. Remote experience and training can also be provided through the platform. This application can reduce labor hours required for on-site quality inspection by up to 50%.

2. Digital twin virtualization remote monitoring: This AR application enables monitoring of equipment performance and on-board system parameters through real-time sensor data. Using AR-enabled Smart Glasses, field engineers will be able to capture and transmit live data to their main office for real-time remote guidance. Sensor data can also be overlaid on the site engineer’s field of view, displaying key information such as real-time critical performance and equipment condition during operations. This will also provide a common platform for field engineers and back office support to troubleshoot and correct problems. This application aims to improve the efficiency of field engineers by 40%, according to Keppel.

3. Remote Virtual Tour: The use of smart glasses to conduct remote virtual tours of a vessel will allow Keppel engineers, clients and classification societies to conduct pre-construction feasibility assessments simultaneously, allowing potential engineering design issues to be identified earlier, helps mitigate risks prior to construction. . Additionally, during the construction phase, engineers can use Smart Glasses to validate that the project is being built to the correct specifications. The solution can also facilitate collaboration between different shipyards and locations where various ship components are being built.

08.05.2022