The benefits of using head mounted displays and wearable computers in a military maintenance environment

Abstract

This paper presents the benefits experienced in using a head mounted display combined with a wearable computer to provide the technical data infrastructure and data retrieval to enable repair and maintenance of complex equipment within the Military domain. It also attempts to address the future strategy and both the technical and financial benefits of adopting such a system for maintenance in a temporary or forward repair workshop environment. In a military environment access to technical data is essential. The maintenance of military equipment in theatre currently requires a paper based documentation infrastructure that is both cumbersome and heavy. By using a Head Mounted Display (HMD) combined with a wearable computer system that contains maintenance diagnostics and repair information, all but eliminates the need to hold and maintain a paper-based manual. This paper explores the opportunities to incorporate a wearable computer and HMD into the maintenance policy. It looks at the benefits of such a system and through experimentation and testing draws conclusions on the way forward for an interactive multimedia maintenance approach.