Volkswagen Unveils Future iOS-Centric Augmented Reality Car Repair App

[MacRumors]

Ahead of the upcoming October 11 InsiderAR augmented reality conference in Munich, German automaker Volkswagen has unveiled an iOS-centric augmented reality service support app for its vehicles, reports The Next Web. Codenamed MARTA, which is short for Mobile Augmented Reality Technical Assistance, the application is designed to be used on Volkswagen's XL1 concept car and walks technicians through each step of a repair or service, pointing out individual parts and displaying step-by-step instructions to service specific sections.

Using the previous approach, the service technician could only call up digital repair guidelines. For the XL1, these guidelines were supplemented by the MARTA augmented reality function which "labels" the individual parts and elements with text and shows work instructions clearly.

When MARTA is called up, the system lists all of the jobs to be performed along with the necessary equipment. Each work task to be performed begins with what is known as an initialisation. The vehicle's silhouette is shown in the display of the mobile end device, and it shows the employee the orientation to be taken in relation to the vehicle. If the silhouette and the camera image of the real vehicle agree, the initialisation is finished successfully. Then the individual context-dependent work steps are shown on the tablet. This gives the employee a new system for identifying work items quicker and more accurately.

Earlier this year, Volkswagen debuted the "iBeetle" with full iPhone integration and special badging, with the automotive maker claiming it was the first car in the world to have a "genuine integrative interface made for the iPhone that was coordinated with Apple." Apple also revealed its iOS in the Car feature alongside the unveiling of iOS 7 earlier this year, allowing for compatible car systems to interact with iOS, with support for the feature coming in 2014.

Article Link: Volkswagen Unveils Future iOS-Centric Augmented Reality Car Repair App

 

[TimeSquareDesi]

K.I.T.T., engage turbo pursuit mode!

 

[sulpfiction]

Knew this was coming..and it's only the beginning.

 

[NMBob]

Huh?

"This gives the employee a new system for identifying work items quicker and more accurately."

So the mechanic now needs an iPad to identify which thing is the fan belt?? Or is this description just lost in translation?

 

[Steppanwolf]

All the more reason to bring Chilton manuals into the tablet app world. My only concern is using grimy, greasy, crud-encrusted fingers to navigate the tablet and the instructions.

And now that I think more on it, what a perfect example to add a voice-enabled assistant to read you the manual and show the repair diagram on screen

Me: "Siri, what's the next step?"

Siri: "Lift the caliper from the disc rotor and remove the rotor from the hub."

 

[Curun]

All the more reason to bring Chilton manuals into the tablet app world. My only concern is using grimy, greasy, crud-encrusted fingers to navigate the tablet and the instructions.

And now that I think more on it, what a perfect example to add a voice-enabled assistant to read you the manual and show the repair diagram on screen

Me: "Siri, what's the next step?"

Siri: "Lift the caliper from the disc rotor and remove the rotor from the hub."

My old iPad, with a black rear plastic shell, and a power support AG screen protector has held up perfectly. Send PDF's to it.

Black rear is not an issue. Smudges seem to wipe right off the screen protector.

 

[Corrosive vinyl]

wow, this could be a tremendous breakthrough in thought for the D.I.Y. crowd. I am personally tired of having marked up paper manuals with grease, oil, and everything else making whats in the book even harder to see. I agree with you, steppanwolf. Chilton manual apps and Siri telling you step by step instructions would be a very awesome future. Imagine buying Chilton manuals on the app store. That with a diagnostic app would sell like gangbusters.

As for getting the iPad all dirty, use some Mechanix gloves and take them off to use the device. Even with taking the gloves off I feel it would still save time. edit: nice to know about smudges Curun.

 

[CFreymarc]

Knew this was coming..and it's only the beginning.

The beginning of this was the early 90's when this was demoed at a SigGraph conference. Issue is that most of the core technology Augmented Reality patents have expired and the CPU speed / power levels are here where it is workable on mobile devices.

A few AR apps have shipped mostly dealing with games. A big company like this using AR for a non-Entertainment use is a watershed event.

 

[Spinnetti]

Just goes to show the natural alliance between VAG people and Apple people

I already use a pad in the garage to google repair stuff, so this is the next good step. There are a few good apps to plug into the car via bluetooth too, but my favorite tools aren't on the pad yet....

 

[praetorian909]

All the more reason to bring Chilton manuals into the tablet app world. My only concern is using grimy, greasy, crud-encrusted fingers to navigate the tablet and the instructions.

And now that I think more on it, what a perfect example to add a voice-enabled assistant to read you the manual and show the repair diagram on screen

Me: "Siri, what's the next step?"

Siri: "Lift the caliper from the disc rotor and remove the rotor from the hub."

Need Google glasses. Or better yet Apple iGlasses. Or whatever names they come up with--iEye, iWear, iSee, or maybe reuse iSight?

 

[mentholiptus]

Cool. I just bought a Beetle. Great redesign, and the 9-speaker 400-watt stereo done by Fender guitar is superb. I guess there's going to be an "iBeetle" sometime in 2014 too. **edit...I see they mentioned the iBeetle in the article. Oops.

 

[FirstNTenderbit]

wow, this could be a tremendous breakthrough in thought for the D.I.Y. crowd. I am personally tired of having marked up paper manuals with grease, oil, and everything else making whats in the book even harder to see. I agree with you, steppanwolf. Chilton manual apps and Siri telling you step by step instructions would be a very awesome future. Imagine buying Chilton manuals on the app store. That with a diagnostic app would sell like gangbusters.

As for getting the iPad all dirty, use some Mechanix gloves and take them off to use the device. Even with taking the gloves off I feel it would still save time. edit: nice to know about smudges Curun.

Forgive my assumption but it seems as if neither you nor steppanwolf have ever worked on a car. The first and most obvious fault with the Siri (please punch me in the face) "help": how in Jeebus' name is Siri going to know where you are in the process? Taking off and putting on gloves to advance Siri each step is . Again, only someone who's never worked on a car would suggest that. Anyone working on a car using a manual is looking at that manual multiple times during the same step to ensure things are done correctly.

A diagnostic app? That's feasible. Especially with an FAQ.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Cool for app

Absolutely horrid car design, as usual, from Volkswagen.

Its like they started off with a Jetta front end, and then just gave up.

 

[mentholiptus]

Absolutely horrid car design, as usual, from Volkswagen.

Its like they started off with a Jetta front end, and then just gave up.

Hey now...don't go looking to start drama. People usually only try to knock others down when they're struck with envy. It's an ugly emotion.

Personally, I love just about their entire line, but to each their own I guess. To write off a classic that's instantly recognizable by just about everyone around the world, and one of the longest standing car models in the world as "horrid design" really sounds like a reach. If you were right, their vehicles wouldn't be getting great reviews...

And if you're talking about my Beetle, it was originally designed by Ferdinand Porsche, and they went back to his original Type 1 drawings for inspiration for this model after VW purchased Porsche a few years back. The Type 1 was also the starting point for the first Porsche 911.

Horrid design, eh? ;¬P

 

[iapplelove]

Absolutely horrid car design, as usual, from Volkswagen.

Its like they started off with a Jetta front end, and then just gave up.

lol and what do u drive?

been driving vw's since 1998..love em as much as i do apple.

 

[booksacool1]

wow, this could be a tremendous breakthrough in thought for the D.I.Y. crowd. I am personally tired of having marked up paper manuals with grease, oil, and everything else making whats in the book even harder to see. I agree with you, steppanwolf. Chilton manual apps and Siri telling you step by step instructions would be a very awesome future. Imagine buying Chilton manuals on the app store. That with a diagnostic app would sell like gangbusters.

Except I doubt they'll sell it to you and me. Call me paranoid but I'm willing to bet that these sort of training videos and augmented reality repair apps will be restricted to 'dealers' and 'authorised service centres'.

Car companies have no interest in the DIY crowd and are even borderline hostile. They use tactics such as proprietary diagnostics programs, manufacturer specific tools, refusing to supply parts and/or extortionate pricing.

 

[laserbeam273]

"This gives the employee a new system for identifying work items quicker and more accurately."

So the mechanic now needs an iPad to identify which thing is the fan belt?? Or is this description just lost in translation?

I agree. I reckon it's incredible for hobby mechanics, but I would definitely be concerned having a mechanic scanning around with an iPad to figure out where something is.