Wearable Technologies and Aviation Industry: According To Cnet, Wearable Tech Market Will Grow 137% by 2024

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Wearable technologies and aviation industry

According to cnet, Wearable tech market will grow 137% by 2024.

The wearable tech market is projected to grow from nearly $27 billion in


2019 to $64 billion by 2024, according to a report published by
GlobalData.
When most of us think about wearable technology, things like Apple
Watch, Fitbit and motion monitors usually come to mind. But they also
have the potential to help companies improve in areas like safety and
efficiency, and the aviation industry is no exception.

Today, mobility has been the recent buzzword in the aviation


industry.As existing technologies are coming up- such as smartphones,
smart glasses, and smart watches- and new devices are entering the
market- such as a bracelet that can transmit the touchscreen interface of
a tablet onto the arm-, the challenge no longer lies in the technology
itself, but in how to configure it to benefit each sustainable aviation use
case.
Today, we’re exploring how wearable can have an impact on aviation
safety, aviation maintenance, and aviation operations by streamlining
wearable technologies to prevent worker injuries and enhance
operational efficiencies.

Aviation Maintenance and Wearable

In the aviation industry, a primary application of this technology is in the


area of maintenance operations. Smart glasses allow hands-free access to
work instructions. They also allow maintenance professionals to stream
live images to remote experts to answer questions and solve problems
faster.
Wearable technology, whether it is a headset or a device the technician
wears on his arm, enables anticipatory maintenance by providing
information on the aircraft and parts quickly and easily, so workers can
work more effectively during scheduled maintenance and avoid Aircraft
on the Ground [AOG] situations. This can impact the bottom line by
shortening the maintenance tail and opening up an extra “seat or two”
that might increase the profits of the airline industry.

Japan Airlines trialed Google Glass for their maintenance operations at


its Honolulu station back in 2014 with the aim to increase work
efficiency. During the trial, maintenance staff received advice and
instruction by audio during operations as well as photograph and video
in real-time that were shared with colleagues off-site.

The trial confirmed the technology’s contribution toward efficiency of


operations. The results were clear. Better information, fewer errors and
less time needed to complete maintenance requests. In fact, the
technology helped improve the efficiency of mechanics by 12%.

Head mounted display wearable glasses for pilots

Aero Glass is providing a unique turnkey solution addressing pilots'


need to properly visualize terrain, navigation, traffic (ADS-B),
instrument, weather, and airspace information with access to vital safety
procedures and protocols, without the requirement of inspecting
instruments, phone or iPad. Using Head-Mounted Displays, Aero Glass
is the first to bring Augmented Reality to pilots providing an
unparalleled 3D, 360° experience in the cockpit, regardless of the
visibility.

Wearable for Training

Another application for wearable could come in the form of employee


training. Commercial airlines have tested Microsoft’s HoloLens, a type
of mixed reality headset that allows users to interact with holograms to
train engine mechanics.
Training for engine mechanics typically involves textbooks, with hands-
on training restricted to jets that aren’t in use. With HoloLens,
mechanics have the ability to see the engine and virtually take it apart
without the need for textbooks or planes. All in all, it has huge
implications for completing training faster while providing more
experiential learning opportunities.

Smart Uniforms

Smart uniforms could be the wave of the future for commercial airlines,
with applications for both cabin and ground crews. A European airliner
commissioned a set of prototype uniforms with hundreds of LED lights
that let crews communicate with each other and with passengers. The
ground ops version also comes with LED functionality, plus smart fabric
to keep workers dry and sensors to monitor environmental conditions.
Smart watches may also become more prevalent for crews. Garmin, for
instance, has invented a smart watch specifically for pilots, providing
navigation, weather and flight logging.  

Wearable for Workforce Safety

In addition to helping keep the public safer, wearable also have the
ability to transform how airlines manages employee safety. Wearable
devices allow safety teams to remotely monitor and provide advanced
alerts based on:

1. Toxic gas concentrations, noise levels and temperature.


2. Pulse and breathing rate.
3. Movements, gestures and activity.
When linked to the aviation Safety Management System (SMS), this
data will also provide more information to help prevent and predict
future incidents.

Ending

While wearable technology definitely carries with it a certain cool


factor, there are some practical concerns companies need to consider.
First, how will they manage the large volume of data provided by
wearable? Just as important, how can they integrate wearable
devices into their operations while protecting aircraft cyber security?

In terms of cyber security, companies will need to think about how they
will keep certain data secure, such as personal health data related to
industrial hygiene monitoring. They also need to protect cyber security
of onboard systems, with hackers pointing out that it’s possible to hijack
aircraft through vulnerabilities in in-flight entertainment systems.
Some of the applications discussed here (like the futuristic uniforms)
may be years away from widespread adoption, and important questions
still need to be answered in terms of security. But as far as demand and
imagination goes, there’s no question that wearable are ready for takeoff
in the aviation industry.

https://medium.com/@mattinsharif7/wearable-technologies-and-aviation-industry-
e65808b7a141?sk=e62c3b6289afeddb557f05f256bc1eb4

The wearable tech market is projected to grow from nearly $27 billion in 2019 to
$64 billion by 2024, according to a report published by GlobalData. This article
streamlines how wearable devices can have an impact on aviation safety, aviation
maintenance, and aviation operations to prevent worker injuries and enhance
operational efficiencies.

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