Augmented Reality for Aircraft Maintenance Training and Operations Support

Recent statistics on causes of aviation accidents and incidents demonstrate that to increase air-transportation safety, we must reduce human errors´ impact on operations. So, the industry should first address human factors related to people in stressful roles to significantly minimize such errors. In particular, aviation maintenance employees work under high-pressure conditions- that is, they´re under strict time constraints and must adhere to stringent guidelines. Because of such constraints, they might be prone to making errors. Unfortunately, many of these errors might not become apparent until an accident occurs. Although maintenance errors are a recognized threat to aviation safety, there are few simulation and computer-based tools for managing human factor issues in this field. The main advantages in using computer-based systems to train or support technicians are that computers don´t forget and that they can help humans clearly understand facts. Such features can help reduce errors due to procedure violations, misinterpretation of facts, or insufficient training. Toward that end, augmented reality (AR) is a promising technology to build advanced interfaces using interactive and wearable visualization systems to implement new methods to display documentation as digital data and graphical databases. Nevertheless, many factors-such as cumbersome hardware, the need to put markers on the aircraft, and the need to quickly create digital content-seem to hinder its effective implementation in industry.