ORLANDO, Fla. — Design Interactive, providers of augmented reality fleet maintenance and training solutions for the transportation industry, says it is utilizing its AUGMENTOR software to help inspire middle and high school students to consider careers as maintenance technicians.
“We are proud to support efforts to raise awareness of career choices in transportation to students and to change the perception of parents and educators about these skilled professions,” said Matt Johnston, division head of commercial solutions for Design Interactive. “For example, Be Pro Be Proud, an initiative of the Associated Industries of Arkansas Foundation, is using our AR software in a mobile workshop that travels to high schools and middle schools so students can have a hands-on experience in professions they might consider.”
Design Interactive technology will be on display at the 2019 TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition next week in Atlanta in the Be Pro Be Proud mobile workshop. The trailer houses an air disc brake system inspection and assembly game driven by DI’s augmented reality software. The faster and more accurately students complete each task, the more points they earn.
“While augmented reality may seem like a novelty, it is already in use by industrial firms for training and operations, and it is having a significant impact compared to traditional training methods,” Johnston said. “For transportation companies, AUGMENTOR uses virtual reality and video- and computer-based technologies to more effectively train technicians in the environment where service and repair tasks are performed. That helps lower labor and parts costs, increases vehicle uptime and shop productivity, and makes it easier to attract new technicians.”
Design Interactive AR technology will be a part of Be Pro Be Proud in the 2019-2020 school year and a featured visualization when the program upgrades it mobile workshop in a 53-ft double expandable trailer.
“With Design Interactive’s augmented reality software, we can inspire students to consider a future as a technician,” said Andrew M. Parker, director of governmental affairs at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas, and the director of Be Pro Be Proud. “By presenting an interactive representation of what they can expect if they join the workforce in that vocation, we can help companies attract the next generation of technicians they need.”
Launched in 2016, Be Pro Be Proud has identified 12 careers that are in high demand by transportation, construction and manufacturing companies and provides a road map for middle and high school students to go from the classroom to the training they need. Be Pro Be Proud is supported by Arkansas-based corporations, the Arkansas governor’s Workforce Cabinet and the Delta Regional Authority as its federal partner.
For more information, visit www.beprobeproud.org.
Design Interactive develops and deploys augmented, virtual and mixed reality training and enterprise solutions for the transportation, medical, aerospace, manufacturing, and energy/oil/gas markets, as well the military. Design Interactive’s extensive research and development expertise in using augmented and virtual reality technologies delivers innovative solutions that keep people safe, improve efficiency, and achieve optimum performance. Founded in 1998 and based in Orlando, Florida, Design Interactive is a woman-owned business.
For more information, visit www.designinteractive.net.
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