Augmented Reality for Field Maintenance

Every interruption in field maintenance takes attention away from the asset. When technicians must pause work to search for drawings, consult paper instructions or reach a back office specialist, diagnosis and execution can lose momentum. This case brings the asset's digital context into the technician workflow through augmented reality, guided procedures and remote support, helping field teams stay focused on the work in front of them.

Maintenance technician uses a mounted digital interface and wireless headset while repairing a large industrial pump in a utility plant.

Point of work information

Improved access to trusted information

Task switching

Reduced between the asset and documentation tools

Guided procedures

Stronger consistency in field execution

Connected worker foundation

Remote assistance and richer workflows

Utility operations and field teams coordinate maintenance around a shared asset map and work plans inside a service depot with utility vehicles outside.

Bringing asset context into the field of view

The augmented reality field support capability places contextual asset and maintenance information, guided procedures and remote expertise inside the technician workflow. By connecting smart glasses interfaces with operational data and digital documentation, it reduces repeated switching between the physical asset and separate systems.

Keep the work in view. Bring the context with it.

Objectives

Create a connected field maintenance experience in which technicians can access trusted drawings, work instructions, asset history and specialist guidance while remaining engaged with the physical task. The objective was to shift critical context from paper and separate back office systems into a hands free interface at the point of work, supporting clearer diagnosis, more consistent execution and a more direct connection between field activity and the asset's digital record.

Opportunity

Extend the documented approach across substation and plant maintenance, field inspection and repair, and remote expert assistance. A common AR enabled worker layer can connect more procedures and asset types over time, make specialist support available where travel or physical presence is not practical, and establish the foundation for richer connected worker workflows across generation, renewables and network operations.

Keeping critical context inside the maintenance workflow

The challenge was not simply to digitize documents. Information had to reach technicians in a usable, hands free form while they were working around operational equipment, without forcing repeated transitions between the asset, paper instructions and disconnected systems. The operating model also needed a practical way to bring expert knowledge into the field when specialist presence was limited.

Key Challenges

Maintenance technician prepares tools, a rugged tablet and printed work instructions at a utility service bench before field work.

1: Information Outside the Flow of Work
Drawings, work instructions, asset history and maintenance records were held in separate systems or paper documents, increasing the effort required to find the right context during a task.

Two utility technicians coordinate an overhead crane lift of heavy rotating equipment inside a modern maintenance hall.

2: Hands Busy Operational Environments
Technicians often need both hands and sustained attention on the physical asset. Conventional devices can interrupt the work sequence when information is needed at the point of execution.

Field technician works at an open communications cabinet beside a remote hydroelectric facility in mountainous terrain.

3: Specialist Expertise Does Not Always Travel
Complex inspection or repair activity may require expert input, yet sending specialists to every site is not always practical. Field teams needed a direct path to remote guidance.

Technicians inspect a power transformer using thermal equipment, a laptop and imaging hardware inside a utility maintenance workshop.

4: Repeated Switching Slows Diagnosis and Execution
Moving between the asset, documentation tools and back office support can break continuity, create task friction and lengthen diagnosis or execution.

Solution

A connected field experience built around the asset

The solution placed contextual information and guided support in the technician’s field of view, connected that experience to asset data and digital documentation, and enabled remote expert participation when on site presence was impractical.

Contextual information at the Asset

Presented relevant asset and maintenance information through AR and smart glasses interfaces, bringing digital context into the physical work environment.

Guidance in the Field of View

Supported inspection and maintenance sequences directly within the technician’s line of sight, helping teams follow the intended procedure while remaining engaged with the task.

Connected data and documentation

Linked the field experience with operational and asset data, drawings, work instructions and digital records, reducing dependence on separate tools during execution.

Expertise Without Travel

Enabled remote or immersive expert support so field technicians could access specialist guidance when physical presence was not practical.

Impact

Field work stays focused on the asset

The documented outcomes are qualitative: improved access to trusted information at the point of maintenance, reduced task switching between the asset and separate documentation tools, and stronger consistency in guided field procedures. The capability also creates a foundation for remote assistance and richer connected worker workflows across future maintenance scenarios.

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