AUTOFORUM

Revolutionary new Industry 4.0 training system for the collision repair and aftermarket sectors

Jun 08, 2018 Tradiebot Industries, Deakin University, Skills Show Australia, Industry 4.0, training system, automotive, collision repair, service, aftermarket

Tradiebot Industries together with Deakin University has launched a collaborative research project exploring the use of virtual and augmented reality technologies, to develop a revolutionary new Industry 4.0 training system for the automotive collision repair and service industry. The announcement was made at Skills Show Australia 2018, where Tradiebot Industries is exhibiting its transformative projects for the first time.

The company explains that the project will develop the industry’s first Virtual/Augmented Reality Training and Service Solution, which it believes will enable and drive new career pathways in the $7billion automotive repair industry. This will be by redefining the way information, communication and training is delivered.

The massive benefit of training using virtual and augmented reality technologies is in its ability to blur the line between the physical world and the cyber world, creating a sense of immersion and bringing complex modern-day vehicle repair catalogues alive.

The project is being developed using Deakin University’s CADET Virtual Reality Lab – a world first. The latter is a unique facility in which the developers can walk round, walk through, and even touch objects in the virtual world and test systems and products that are yet to be realised using virtual reality technologies.

Future apprentices and their parents attending the Skills Show will be the first to experience Tradiebot Industries’ revolutionary 4.0 automated and virtual environments in development including VR training for spray painting and AR training for auto repair.

Tradiebot Industries and Deakin University were joined at the Skills Show by automotive industry heavyweights Capital S.M.A.R.T. Repairs and PPG, on a shared platform of taking a world-leading approach to training their current and future workforces, and a passion for unlocking and accelerating promising talent in science, engineering and future technologies.

Dr Ben Horan, Director CADET VR Lab, Deakin University, who commented: “Tradiebot Industries is working with us to look at how virtual and augmented reality technologies can revolutionise the workplace and automation. Immersive Reality, which encompasses VR and AR, provides a fantastic opportunity to help overcome some of the skills training challenges in sectors such as collision repair. Virtual Reality can provide access to training environments which are either difficult to access or don’t exist, and Augmented Reality can help provide digital assistance while performing a task.”

“We have worked with many industry partners and applications to help translate these technologies into competitive advantage. This work builds on our world-leading expertise and research in immersive technologies, to support the communities we serve.”

Founder of Tradiebot Industries, Mario Dimovski added: “At Tradiebot Industries we are creating the technologies that will revolutionise the automotive collision repair sector. Like many trades, our industry is facing a serious shortfall of skilled talent and an ever-widening skills gap as repair businesses struggle to keep up with the latest OEM repair methods and industry best practice. Rather than wait for our technologies to hit the shop floor and face a productivity-sucking gap while talent is trained up to use them, we are partnering with the leading employers who will be deploying these technologies, and developing state of the art training solutions now to teach the skills that will be needed.”

Kevin Woolerton, Business Improvement Manager at PPG said: “The collision repair industry is constantly changing and, with each evolution, new technologies arrive and are embraced before going on to become part the ‘new normal’ repair process. What might a collision repair shop look like in 10 or even 20 years’ time? PPG has global research and development resources focused on these very questions. With that same vision in mind, PPG is very pleased to partner with Tradiebot Industries in the development of breakthrough technologies that will help to transform repair processes. Their approach and energy has mobilised resources from major universities and research institutions to tackle a range of ground-breaking projects. What is next for the collision repair industry? We think Tradiebot Industries’ technologies provide an intriguing snapshot!”