Abstract
The demand for more efficient approaches in aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) for mission readiness and automation of life-cycle sustainment requires the introduction of novel approaches. Those solutions will be even more significant if they address the operational needs of individuals and provide tangible enterprise-level benefits. Corrosion detection is just one example of the maintenance tasks that, if not attended to in a systematic and timely manner, can result in heightened repair costs and, ultimately, lead to diminished operational readiness. We present a novel framework for the maintenance domain that utilizes augmented reality technology, the persistent augmented and virtual environment - PAVE, and digital twin concepts. As a proof of concept, we designed and developed a prototype system, the F/A-18 Tracking Corrosion and Assessment Tool (FATCAT), which integrated highlighted technological approaches. The resulting system was tested in a formal user study involving 32 active-duty USN F/A18 Super Hornet aircraft maintainers who represented day and night crew work shifts. The participants used the FATCAT tool in the context of visual inspections and aircraft corrosion control, performing multiple tasks typical of their job roles on real aircraft. The results demonstrated that a strategic combination of novel technological approaches, together with intuitive user interaction metaphors, superior data visualization, and data capture, can support multiple stakeholders across the aviation MRO domain. The objective and subjective data sets reflected participants’ ability to use the tool and complete the tasks after a very short familiarization with the tool's functionalities. The use of the tool resulted in high satisfaction levels with the system and a desire to use it in their daily practice. A set of concepts and technologies used in the FATCAT is applicable to preventive and corrective maintenance tasks in aviation and any other domains that require regular inspections and repairs.