STIM deploys RealWear’s HMT-1 Assisted Reality headset to aid its fish farming operations

In Augmented Reality News 

May 5, 2021 – RealWear, Inc., a provider of hands-free head-mounted computers for industry, has today announced that STIM, a provider of fish health services, has deployed RealWear’s HMT-1 assisted reality wearable solution into the aquaculture industry.

By utilizing the voice-activated HMT-1 wearable tablet device, it has enabled STIM Norway’s fish health teams to increase operational efficiency whilst reducing travel, according to RealWear. 

In Norway, fish farming sites and facilities span the coastline and are located in remote locations. The sites are required by law to host fish-health inspections several times a year. For STIM, honouring this requirement means that its fish health teams are constantly on the road, traveling to and from production sites, all of which comes with both an economic and environmental cost. 

To address these challenges, STIM researched remote inspection systems including handhelds, laptops, wearables and AR smart glasses. Following an in-depth consultation with RealWear partner and IT infrastructure specialists ATEA Norge, STIM opted to standardize on RealWear’s HMT-1 wearable device due to its features such as voice activation and hands free functionality, as well as its ruggedized design that allows for operation in wet, windy and rough offshore conditions. 

RealWear stated that since the first deployment of the HMT-1 in 2019, STIM has unlocked additional capabilities of the devices through the STIM PRO app, the company’s system for remote communication with wellboats, service boats and aquaculture facilities. STIM PRO allows STIM’s customers to log in and book an appointment for a remote inspection. In the same portal, customers can upload documents that STIM’s fish health staff may need to review prior to the inspection. The system enables immediate access to STIM’s fish health personnel who, regardless of geographical distances, can overlook and assess sampling and test results, provide advice, and contribute with important assessments related to specific fish health-related problem solving. 

With real-time video and audio transmission, teams are able to provide visibility to any situation and ask for real-time advice on any identified issues. The HMT-1 has also helped to reduce response time in cases where important decisions have to be made quickly, according to RealWear.

To date, STIM has deployed 75 HMT-1 headsets. The company initially rolled out RealWear devices for use in hygiene inspections that it conducts on wellboats used to transport live fish or to provide onboard treatments. These simple hygiene tests, which must be done to ensure that the boats are sufficiently cleaned between missions, have previously required on-site presence of an independent veterinarian or fish health biologist. However, with RealWear’s hands-free wearable computers running STIM PRO, the process has been transformed, with crew members now able to perform tests themselves whilst STIM’s fish health professionals remotely oversee the procedure and either approve of test results or decide that further cleaning is necessary. 

“Since deploying RealWear’s solution, we have been able to provide the same quality to our customers with this method and even offer a discounted inspection. Whilst it’s a very different process to physically sending someone to a site, it has resulted in improved safety, efficiency and cost savings,” said Henrik Hareide, COO Knowledge Services, STIM Norway. “The hardware is excellent, and RealWear’s solution is perfectly tailored to our unique needs.” 

RealWear added that STIM has plans to add a Learning System to its STIM PRO platform, to ensure quality and consistency across teams.

Jon Arnold, VP of Sales, EMEA at RealWear, commented: “Yet again, we are witnessing further scope for RealWear’s solution to be used in multiple applications within another industry sector,” adding, “Wearable technology is now widely accepted as a tool for efficient communication, offering efficiency benefits both for operations and environmentally.”

For more information on RealWear and its assistive reality devices, please visit the company’s website.

Image credit: STIM / Werner Juvik / RealWear