Implementation of Augmented Reality in Aircraft Inspection Process

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Malaysia

Corresponding author: kavinkabil2023@gmail.com

Abstract

Implementation of augmented reality (AR) in the aerospace industry could initiate a new path in terms of technological advancement. AR is widely known as a new immersive world made up of real and virtual features that can generate a humanly intuitive interaction with computer-based systems through gadgets. In this study, the repair manual for Boeing 737 has been improvised by using the software that can create an AR program system, which is Unity and Vuforia SDK. The AR repair manual system is developed in two methods, marker-based and markerless, to see which one has better performance and reliability in the industry. The application is believed to be a great help in realising a more convenient working environment and in situations where it requires less human contact, such as in the Covid-19 situation. The performance of the developed AR repair manuals is evaluated and compared with the existing repair manual. The AR repair manual is believed to have better performance in terms of time, efficiency and working environment than the paper-based manual. The study on the development of the AR repair manual and its implementation in the aerospace industry will be discussed in this paper.