Greater complexity in offshore assets has introduced operational changes that impact the ways in which services are provided. Keeping pace with this evolution has led to an increased interest in emerging technologies that can be used in inspection tasks. Implementation of wearable technologies provides a way to capture and visualize information more efficiently, streamline inspection services, and integrate on-site, real-time information capture, thus allowing for more informed and rapid decision-making as well as alternative approaches to planning, execution, and reporting.
Wearable devices can both collect and deliver data in the field, creating a synergy that enables the focus to remain on the task at hand while being able to automatically obtain access to relevant resources. Wearable technology allows field personnel to immediately and effectively capture, share, and collaborate with real time information, hands free. Wearables can also bridge time and distance constraints imposed by having a worldwide enterprise, and enable more informed, real-time decision making. With advanced visualization and augmentation, contextual data can be super-imposed on reality providing interactive job aids, ease of access to asset history, and current state asset health with digital capture of records/narratives. This technology can provide faster, more dynamic intelligence and direction to help quickly identify specific areas of interest for targeted inspection applications.
Incorporation of wearable technologies follows a phased approach. The first step is to look at ways of improving current systems and identifying what processes can be adjusted for increased efficiency and safety. The second phase leverages the use of sensor technology in collecting and analyzing data to improve processes by enhancing data capture and providing additional connectivity. The third phase focuses on creating new processes and developing broader capabilities by building a knowledge base from collected and analyzed data. This phase requires data to be collected, categorized and indexed to identify patterns. The end result of following a structured implementation process is the ability to incorporate ambient intelligence and augmented reality to enable risk-informed decision-making and support efficient execution of inspection tasks.
This paper will primarily address phase 1 activities as well as discuss the driving factors for the use of wearable technology in the offshore industry, the current and future capabilities and use cases for wearable technology, as well as experience, lessons learned, and next steps in the implementation process.
