Data is the resource of the future and its targeted and comprehensive management will not only be crucial to success with the introduction of the new 5G mobile communications standard. The opportunities for companies to make more informed business decisions with modern edge computing solutions and the information gained from them are impressive. We can already see that the market for wearables, which also includes assisted reality solutions, is growing steadily. According to expert forecasts, global spending on wearables could rise to 30 billion US dollars by 2020. This makes it all the more important for companies to position themselves for the future today. Dynabook helps to make processes more efficient with assisted reality solutions. The focus here is on the DynaEdge DE-100 mobile edge computing PC including smart glasses.

Hands free and all information in your field of vision

Production employees literally always have their hands full. Relieving them of their workload, minimizing error rates and increasing efficiency is the declared aim of the DynaEdge DE-100 solution, including smart data glasses, the AR100 monocular viewer. This gives employees access to all the data they need, regardless of location and time, without restricting their mobility in any way. This is because employees can see the steps they need to take on the display of the glasses as they carry out their tasks. If they get stuck, the employee's field of vision can be streamed to the monitor of an expert. They can then help without having to be on site themselves.

Possible application scenarios

On the production line:

Production lines are primarily about speed, productivity, precision, compliance and quality control. In addition, with high staff turnover, new employees need to be quickly trained in their respective areas of responsibility. As every detail matters, more and more manufacturers in the automotive industry, for example, are turning to smart glasses to transmit important information to the relevant production area in real time. Assisted reality solutions provide employees with significant support by enabling them to access specifications or instructions via the display of the smart glasses. This promotes production precision, helps to avoid errors and streamlines the process. At the same time, a smart glasses solution is particularly ergonomic and helps to avoid unnatural movements such as looking at an info screen or a manual.

During maintenance work:

A technician carrying out maintenance on a machine can view a diagram of the device to be serviced on the display of the assisted reality data glasses and carry out all the work hands-free without having to leaf through the accompanying documentation. In the event of unusual defects, an expert can also be called in virtually to provide remote support.

In the warehouse:

When compiling orders in the warehouse, visual information is projected into the employees' field of vision. This brings a number of improvements to the order picking process. These include route optimization in the system or the automatic reading of article or delivery barcodes - for optimized inventory management.

Easy to integrate

Minicomputer with data glasses: dynaEdge from Toshiba. © Dynabook

At just over 300 g, the DynaEdge DE-100 is a lightweight, portable smart edge computer. Thanks to the performance of current Intel Core processors up to the m7 series, the mini computer can be used as a stationary workstation together with a monitor, for example. The assisted reality solution is also based on Windows 10, allowing it to be integrated into existing IT infrastructures. At the same time, IT departments benefit from the support and security that Microsoft provides with its updates. The battery allows a runtime of up to 6.5 hours. After that, it can be replaced with the optional second battery so that the PC can be used all day without recharging.

Jörg Schmidt, Dynabook / ag