Support service enhances facility maintenance

With this web-based service, users can easily make video calls and make use of augmented reality (AR) technology to transmit easy-to-visualise image and text data. SensPlus Buddy will improve maintenance efficiency and the quality of field work.

The SensPlus Buddy communication support service can be accessed wherever it is possible to use an Internet-connected mobile device.

SensPlus Buddy is a cloud-based service.

As such, it does not require the installation of special hardware or software, and only a standard Internet connection is needed.

It can run on any general-purpose mobile device or personal computer that has a web browser installed.

For maximum security, access is strictly controlled by a user authentication system, and communication is only allowed between users in specified groups.

It supports video calls, the sharing of image files, such as a screenshot taken during a video call, or when viewing a manual, and the overlay of instructions on images, and these functions can be easily accessed and used on any kind of mobile device.

Engineering experts and support staff can make video calls to share images and other data in real time with personnel in the field.

Thanks to the service’s support of AR technology, support staff can write easy-to-understand instructions on photos that have been taken on site and send them back to personnel in the field.

When a maintenance worker in the field needs to see information about a control system, or information from a document such as an operation manual, support staff in the central control room can send images of subjects such as a control system console screen or photos of specific pages in a document. Both sender and receiver can inscribe messages on the images.

Applications include communication between a central control room and plant personnel, or between personnel at different plants and communication between field personnel and third parties such as help desks of plant equipment manufacturers.