Enhancing Remote Support with ARDI’s 360 Photography and Augmented Reality Tools

In today’s fast-paced industrial landscape, effective remote support can drastically improve efficiency, reduce costs, and minimise downtime. ARDI-360 and ARDI Augmented Reality (AR) tools are designed to elevate remote collaboration, streamline issue resolution, and reduce the need for on-site visits. These innovative technologies provide engineers and technicians with highly interactive, real-time views of equipment and environments, no matter where they are.

ARDI-360 functions much like Google Street View¹ for industrial environments. It provides 360-degree interactive photographs, giving remote teams a complete visual overview of equipment and infrastructure. These high-resolution, panoramic images allow engineers to explore machinery from every angle, offering the same clarity as if they were physically on-site.

With ARDI-360, remote teams can:

• Zoom in on specific components
• Pan around to see equipment layouts
• Navigate the physical path between assets, for example finding the switchroom to isolate a motor
• Annotate key areas for guided troubleshooting

This interactive functionality allows remote experts to provide precise guidance to on-site workers, walking them through inspections, repairs, and diagnostics without needing to be physically present. This results in faster problem resolution and more efficient use of resources.

ARDI’s Augmented Reality tools function overlays live and historical data, and links to documentation, to an asset being viewed through your phone or tablet camera. Technicians point their device’s camera at a specific industrial AR marker (similar to a QR code but optimised for dirty environments). ARDI then overlays the asset information directly onto the live camera feed, providing  operational insights on the screen.

With ARDI AR, technicians can instantly access:

• Equipment performance metrics
• Maintenance logs and schedules
• Real-time alerts and diagnostics
• Asset documentation, such as manuals, safety data sheets, calibration records and so on

Having this information enables field technicians to make quicker decisions and carry out repairs or inspections with greater accuracy.

• Improved Remote Collaboration

ARDI-360 allows engineers and technicians to collaborate in real-time, providing a visual overview of equipment that remote teams can easily navigate. With ARDI AR, field workers get immediate access to critical asset information through live data overlays, making it easier to address complex tasks.

• Faster Problem Resolution

By providing real-time asset data and visual feedback through both ARDI-360 and ARDI AR, troubleshooting is faster and more precise. Technicians receive detailed, actionable instructions, reducing the time to resolve issues and minimising costly downtime.

• Reduced Need for On-Site Visits

ARDI’s remote capabilities mean fewer on-site visits by experts are required. ARDI-360 provides an accurate visualisation of assets, while ARDI AR offers real-time data from anywhere. This saves significant time and costs as experts located in a different location to the asset can assist local resources remotely.

• Troubleshooting Remote Equipment

Imagine a mining company experiencing issues with a key piece of equipment at a remote site. Instead of dispatching an engineer to the location, ARDI-360 allows the support team to assess the problem remotely with a 360-degree view. Using ARDI AR, a technician on-site can point their camera at the equipment and receive real-time data overlays with detailed repair instructions. This could potentially resolve the issue quickly, without the need for an on-site visit, saving both time and costs.

• Training and Development

ARDI-360 and ARDI’s AR tools are capable of being used for training and development. Using ARDI-360, engineers can create virtual training sessions, walking trainees through complex procedures with interactive photographs. ARDI AR enhances this experience by overlaying real-time data, providing a hands-on learning experience that accelerates training and improves knowledge retention.

• Service Equipment Faster

A team of contractors are on site to perform maintenance on a piece of equipment. To do the work, they need to gather site information to enable them to safely perform their task, including information on electrical isolation, safety, live running status, mechanical layouts and so on. With ARDI AR they can access all of this information and more directly from the asset.

Ready to Improve Your Remote Support Capabilities?

ARDI’s 360 photography and Augmented Reality tools offer practical solutions for enhancing remote support, reducing on-site visits, and speeding up issue resolution. Book a demo today to see how ARDI can transform your workflow and boost operational efficiency.