A Wearable Computing Prototype for supporting training activities in Automotive Production

Conference: IFAWC 2007 - 4th International Forum on Applied Wearable Computing 2007
03/12/2007 - 03/13/2007 at Tel Aviv, Israel

Proceedings: IFAWC 2007

Pages: 12Language: englishTyp: PDF

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Authors:
Maurtua, Iñaki (Production Engineering Department Fundación Tekniker, Spain)
Kirisci, Pierre T. (Bremen Institute for Industrial Technology and Applied Work Science at the University of Bremen (BIBA), Germany)
Stiefmeier, Thomas (ETH Zürich, Institut für Elektronik, Switzerland)
Sbodio, Marco Luca (Hewlett-Packard, Italy Innovation Center, Italy)
Witt, Hendrik (University of Bremen, TZI Wearable Computing Lab., Germany)

Abstract:
This paper presents the results of the wearable computing prototype supporting training- and qualification activities at the SKODA production facilities in Czech Republic. The emerged prototype is based upon the first of the 2 main "Variant Production Showcases" (training and assembly-line) which are to be implemented in the WearIT@work project (EC IP 004216). As an introduction, the authors of this paper investigate current training processes at Skoda, and derive the potential benefits and risks of applying wearable computing technology. Accordingly, the approach of creating the wearable prototypes, via usability experiments at the Skoda production site, is explained in detail. As a preliminary result, the first functional prototypes, including a task recognition prototype, based upon the components of the European Wearable Computing Platform, are described. The paper is rounded up by providing a short outlook regarding the second envisaged test case, which is focussed upon selected assembly line operations of blue collar workers.