25003 – Augmented Reality-Enhanced Non-Destructive Inspection

Augmented Reality-Enhanced Non-Destructive Inspection

Expeditionary Repair of Aircraft Structural Components

ARCS Aviation is pleased to submit our Non-Destructive Inspection-Heads-up Display (NDI-HUD) system in support of the Expeditionary Repair of Aircraft Structural Components Technology Focus Area. The primary challenge addressed by the system is that, with traditional NDI test systems, users must shift their gaze from the area being inspected to the results on the test unit screen. This jeopardizes completeness and accuracy of the scans as well as end user safety, as users often do not have a free hand for a third point of contact, whether on a ladder, scaffold, or the vehicle being scanned. 

NDI-HUD is an integration of an NDI Eddy Current (EC) system with Augmented Reality (AR), allowing the user to see a replicated screen within their field of view. The system allows users to save data and map it to the location being scanned for later review by anyone donning the headset. This improves Probability of Inspection and Probability of Detection. The system includes bi-directional integration of the EC scanning device and AR platform, enabling the user to use verbal commands spoken into the AR headset to control the EC scanning device, which can now be carried in a backpack, increasing safety. Features native to the AR platform, such as broadcasting the user visual feed over a network, were enabled as well. This was an important feature to the end users, as it allows more experienced technicians to guide and support less experienced or specialized technicians.

Challenges overcome included ingesting data from the NDI device into the AR headset, orienting the headset to the vehicle being scanned, tagging data to specific points on the vehicle for contextual retrieval, and integration of voice commands to control the NDI device through the AR headset. 

NDI-HUD was developed under a Phase II Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The system underwent a System Test by ARCS and an Acceptance Test by the Air Force Customer and End User (reports are available upon request). Both tests validated that a user can scan a test block with known defects; identify and save the data on those defects; recall that data in a subsequent session in the same location; and control key features of the system with voice commands. At the end of Phase II, the system was ready for commercial sale, and ARCS has received a Phase III contract from the Air Force for several additional units, as well as evaluation of additional probes to be added to the system. NDI-HUD is in an ideal position—capable of providing value now as configured, but open to significant improvement through adding additional probes, such as arrays and bolt hole. In addition, NDI-HUD was developed for an aircraft application, but can be used on any surface and with any vehicle that can be scanned with the Eddy Current tester, providing value to all branches of the U.S. military as well as commercial maintenance organizations.