A mobile system for industrial maintenance support based on embodied interaction

Abstract

This paper presents a mobile assistance system for service and maintenance personnel in industrial facilities. It provides an innovative interaction metaphor designed to fit domain specific working conditions. As a result of a strictly user-centered design process, the presented system follows the principles of Embodied Interaction. The system is evaluated using a sophisticated scenario in a typical industrial environment. The evaluation also includes a comparison with the conventional paper & pencil-based maintenance workflow. A detailed discussion addresses problems of mobile usability evaluation in industrial environments and provides appropriate solutions. The results presented in this paper demonstrate that the proposed system allows for effective and satisfactory service and maintenance. It contributes further insights for utilization and evaluation of embodied systems in industrial applications. Potential applications of this research include design guidelines for future interface configurations using embodied interactive devices.