Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/762675
MTD December 2016 2016 AAPEX: A look at the brave new world of a shop's service bay By Joy Kopcha and Ann Neal T he consumer world may be obsessed with virtual reality games and experiences, but in the automotive field, Bosch Automotive Service Solutions is finding a place for augmented reality technology to help technicians work faster and explain repairs more easily to consumers. is isn't a far-off dream for sci-fi fans. At the 2016 Automotive Aermarket Parts Expo (AAPEX) , Bosch said it expects to bring the futuristic technology to the aermarket in 2017. Augmented reality uses computer-aided design (CAD) and imposes it on another field. A property manager might use it to see behind the walls of apartments in a high rise building to look for plumbing or electrical lines. Bosch is taking computer-generated, three-dimensional images of the inner workings of a vehicle and projecting them onto the surface of the vehicle. Standing next to a Range Rover, Rob Butz, director of business development and technical information services for Bosch, points a tablet toward the passenger side of the SUV like he's shooting a photograph. It's as if this vehicle has just arrived at a tire dealership and gone through a typical entrance check: diagnostic trouble codes were collected, tire pressure and tread depth were measured, and baery strength was calculated. at data is collected on a computer server or cloud, and with augmented reality, it's sent to the tablet so a technician or service writer can project the results onto the driver's vehicle. On Butz's tablet screen, and on a larger standalone screen set up for the demonstration, green, yellow, and red markers appear near the tires. e green markers show no problems, and red ones are indicators of something that needs aention. Clicking on the red marker shows the problem is either a wheel speed sensor or the bearing. If the job required an additional diagnostic test, the screen could show which connector to use to perform that next test. Once the information is captured, augmented reality can help the technician make the repair. Any relevant information related to the procedure is a click away. "An experienced technician may not want to see the full procedure, but they can augment the tool they'd need and the torque spec. But for a novice technician, they can do a step-by-step through the procedure," Butz said. It prompts the technician to first remove the lug nuts, the wheel, all the way to the point of installing a new wheel bearing. "rough studies we have found, especially on the training side, to visualize it on the actual product your retention rate is at its highest." It also eliminates the sometimes confusing translation from two-dimensional drawings on a computer screen or in a manual to the real-life product in the repair bay, Butz said. "It helps visualize where things are on the product, and procedures of how you'd do the repair. A technician can get a view of something they typically couldn't see until they tear apart the car," Butz said. "What we're trying to do here is create a more efficient environment to allow them to repair a vehicle faster, or to help educate their customers." For the past five years Bosch has used this technology with its original equipment customers. "We're here at AAPEX to try to figure out how this fits into the aermarket," Butz said. Bosch has created a platform to manage the data and deliver it. "One of the challenges we have is that the CAD data normally lies with the OEM, so we have to find ways to enable access to that." On the sales side, the technology can help explain to a customer why a repair might cost $1,500. ey can watch animation that shows all the steps needed to complete the work. ey can see where the repair area is, and what other parts of the vehicle it touches. Augmented reality also could help upsell accessories, such as wheels. A salesman could click through countless styles and colors and show the options on the vehicle. Butz said the same could be done with tires. e benefit is "having that interaction with the customer." If augmented reality still feels far off, AAPEX provided plenty of other products applicable to the work in tire dealers' service bays today. Bright lights from Philips Style and performance are the combined touted benefits of the new Xenon CrystalVision ultra bulbs, which Lumileds, a subsidiary of Royal Philips, unveiled at AAPEX to coordinate feature Rob Butz says Bosch has spent the last five years working on augmented reality technology with original equipment customers. Next year it will be ready for the aftermarket to help shops work more efficiently. 36