Smart in the eye: student created augmented reality glasses for industry

A first-year master's student from the Faculty of Engineering Mechanics at Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas has created mixed and augmented reality smart glasses for use in industrial sectors, including the energy industry. The device displays information and instructions right in front of workers' eyes, allowing them to perform tasks more efficiently and safely. The team is now testing the product with Gazpromneft ITO LLC. Experts told Izvestia that the project is of interest to the market, but there are points that need to be finalized.

Smart augmented reality glasses

A Russian startup has put into production smart glasses of mixed and augmented reality for use in industrial sectors, including the energy industry. This device allows information and instructions to be shown right in front of workers' eyes, allowing them to perform tasks more efficiently and safely. The glasses are not fully autonomous - they work in conjunction with a smartphone, the developers said.

The device consists of a display (OLED or LCoS), it is responsible for displaying the image. It is equipped with a mirror-lens system that reflects the picture from the screen and focuses it so that the user sees it right in front of his eyes, as if it were floating in the air. It also has a connectivity and data transfer unit: a built-in Wi-Fi module or other wireless options provide synchronization with the device. Settings and interaction with the glasses occur through an application on a smartphone.

The gadget was created by a first-year master's student of the Faculty of Engineering Mechanics of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. He started developing the device in 2022 in St. Petersburg at the Center for Digital Technologies. The startup took part in Sber's youth student gas pedal and found an industrial partner. The project also participated in the federal program "Platform of University Technological Entrepreneurship".

In order to create an industrial sample, the prototype had to be significantly improved - to add the ability to connect via wifi and Bluetooth and to install a camera that recognizes hand gestures.

Now the team is testing the product with Gazpromneft ITO LLC (the company's information technology operator), during which they are getting feedback on the finalization of the glasses, namely: the size of the displayed image, the product form factor, and the location of cameras inside the product.

- Let's take the most frequent task for an example of using glasses. A third- or fourth-degree locksmith who has recently finished training and started work. In theory, he knows how the equipment looks and works, but has never interacted with it with his hands. Goggles with a projection display and cameras will help him. An operator who knows everything about a particular piece of equipment, in the form of visual and audio cues, will help perform a particular operation to repair the equipment. This will increase the efficiency of the process, safety of the work performed and reduce the downtime of the equipment," Maxim Natchuk, a student-developer, told Izvestia.

Photo: Maxim Natchuk

According to him, at the moment the glasses are mostly trusted as a remote assistant for industrial safety and supplying the goal of zero injuries at work. This feature significantly speeds up the process of troubleshooting and staff development, reducing the need for business trips and minimizing equipment downtime.

- The startup attracts us with innovative ideas that can accelerate the introduction of digital technologies in the oil and gas industry, as well as support for young projects, which allows us to find fresh products," Vasily Melentyev, Head of Gazpromneft ITO's Augmented and Virtual Reality Technology Center, told Izvestia.

Virtualization of the oil and gas industry

So far, all tests are conducted at a specialized site, and in order to conduct tests at production facilities, it is necessary to obtain certification for explosion and fire protection, explained Maxim Natchuk. The developer believes that the introduction of the technology will increase efficiency, improve safety and reduce costs, especially when using the technology for monitoring and diagnostics of equipment.

- We are guided by the experience of our foreign colleagues and are trying to make the glasses available not only for the oil and gas industry, but also for other sectors of the economy. In the future, we plan to enter the consumer market, and we are also trying to achieve full import substitution of augmented reality glasses on the Russian market," he said.

When finalizing its product, the startup may change its approach to working in the industry, says Natalia Magidei, Sberbank's managing director forwork with startups. In addition to financial and human resources , the process of adjusting the device will require experience and industry expertise, she said .

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kondratyuk

Augmented reality glasses are no longer such a novelty, for more than 10 years they have been actively used in various industries, medicine, construction, said Denis Zakharkin, General Director of BP-Concept, an expert of the NTI market Neuronet.

- These are glasses that look like our usual everyday glasses or sunglasses, but they have a camera and a screen. The former is needed so that employees from the office can see what the employee sees at the company. Such an assistant is indispensable when it is necessary to solve an issue promptly and there is no time for a specialist to travel, - the expert noted.

As for the implementation in industry, there is a question of protecting the safety of the employee's work at enterprises, said "Izvestia" expert of the NTI market "Neuronet" Tatiana Mosendz. After all, it is not just a question of laboratory application of such solutions, but application where it is necessary to unload, supplement a person, give him new opportunities.

- The question is how convenient and comfortable it is for the human eye. I emphasize that for the development of such solutions it is very important to take into account the impact of such solutions on visual fatigue, limitation of perception of the surrounding reality. For example, if an employee is in a workshop, sometimes such devices can create a distortion of the surrounding reality. A person can collide with the equipment, with another employee, cause damage to themselves and so on," she said.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kondratyuk

This development is unique for the Russian market, but not for the world market, said Anton Averyanov, CEO of ST IT Group, an expert of the TechNet NTI market. And while it looks like the first stage of development of such a solution, further elaboration is needed, he summarized.