March 29, 2021 – Iristick, a provider of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses developed for industry, announced last year that it had partnered with Aviapartner and Air Cargo Belgium to introduce smart glasses technology to the air freight industry. The Flemish government-backed innovation project aimed to create a more efficient acceptance procedure for export freight at BRUcargo, and saw Iristick’s smart glasses trialed as part of an exploration into the use of XR technology (the collective term for augmented, virtual and mixed realities) within the air freight industry.
The project has since come to an end, but saw Iristick, together with its partners, developed two proof-of-concept solutions. The company has recently reflected on all that was accomplished during the course of the project.
The goal of the project was to find a more efficient way to accept, check and handle shipments at BRUcargo with the help of smart glass technology. The first proof-of-concept focused specifically on digitizing acceptance checklists for cargo damage control and shortage, while the second proof-of-concept was designed to innovate and improve existing operational processes. Improvements included the automation of a label recognition module, which helped to speed up what would otherwise have involved multiple manual tasks.
Iristick stated that for both proof-of-concepts, a digital work instruction software platform by Proceedix was implemented, which allowed warehouse operators to work completely hands free. Furthermore, this hands free work was enhanced thanks to the use of Iristick’s own smart glasses, which come equipped with a barcode scanner and voice command capabilities.
The company stated that digital and dynamic work instructions were made available to operators through its smart glasses’ built in heads-up display, which helped to embed a first-time-right approach for complex logistic workflows. The glasses also allowed for the scanning of airway bill numbers without the need for documents or handheld devices, as well as the photographic capture of cargo for instances of damage reporting, thanks to the glasses’ built-in 5 megapixel camera.
In addition to providing workflow guidance, scanning capabilities and image capture, a shorter learning curve was also experienced, with the entire process becoming 100% paperless and sent directly to the cloud, according to Iristick.
The company stated: “This project proves that XR [extended reality] technology can change the future of airfreight handling drastically, by creating smoother and faster processes. All this while eliminating paper procedures and creating a safer work environment.”
Iristick added that in the near future, combined with the help of an AI-recognition module, the project’s concept could potentially be used for automatic damage observation and correct label recognition, as well as automatic counting and sorting of shipments, pallet building assistance, and more.
For more information on Iristick and its smart glasses solutions for the logistics industry, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: Iristick / YouTube
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.