HIROYUKI YAMATO

(Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo)

Information instruments have become smaller, lighter, and more sophisticated, and ¡Èwearable computers¡É have been in practical use in the manufacturing field. Why are wearable computers expected to be of good use at the fields where a great number of people work such as shipyards and power plants? In this article, we investigate the role of the wearable computers in the coming generation that might drastically change the future manufacturing site.

It is at the ¡Èlow-technology¡É field where wearable instruments are at good use

Thanks to the miniaturization of computers, wearable information systems have been gradually constructed. However, the most important reason for achieving the ¡Èwearable system¡É is the progress in communication technologies rather than that in computers in fact.

For example, a recent PDA (Personal Data Assistant) has a slot for communication, so we can access the Internet and send e-mails by using this. An old PDA did not have such a slot, which means that it had no access to worldwide information system and was used as a mere notebook. However, in these two years, the infrastructure for communication system has been established and we are now able to transmit data very easily just by using small computers like PDA. Due to this communication technology, each individual has come to make their instruments on-line.

Nowadays, people actually try to bring wearable computers in some fields such as manufacturing and operating fields of large ships. But why is the shipbuilding field chosen?

For example, imagine the manufacturing process of automobiles. All the tasks are carried out by machines, and so there is no need to adopt wearable instruments for the processes. The wearable instruments bring their ability into full play for collecting and transmitting information especially when it is difficult to objectively summarize the methods as our knowledge as they require flexibility. Therefore, wearable instruments are suitable for fields where we cannot bring in the methods as computer data or use it for the production lines.

In those senses, wearable information instruments are the perfect match for what is called ¡Èlow-technology¡É fields. By applying such an information system to the low technology fields, we can keep a track of human motions better. We can break down people¡Çs movements only after we record them in the computers and analyze them. By doing this, we will be able to learn how we can move more efficiently, what makes people do such actions, and why we take such movements.

There are some parts that only skilled people can ultimately do in the fields related with human skills such as our motions and our tasks. However, the knowledge of the experts is often not understandable even if they tell you. It is often said that you have to steal the techniques of the skilled rather than to be told. However, the skilled must put their knowledge and complicated information in order so they can do their tasks according to some theories. By using wearable systems, we will catch the situations and the motions of the skilled as useful data.

In the near future, the wearable system equipped with the voice input system will be practically applied. By using it, situations could be analyzed as useful data by dint of the messages of the skilled during their tasks like ¡Èwe are going to choose this method in this situation.¡É They could also be accumulated as objective and numeric information that everyone can use.

Qualitative efficiency that the wearable systems will bring

Moreover, it would be more useful to record what the skilled do with CCD cameras in addition to getting information from their voices. Cameras on the recently prevailed mobile phones would be good enough. By using such cameras, in the manufacturing field such as shipbuilding field, we could visually record where and how to cast the steel plates for bending them into certain forms.

Wearable computers can be attached to machines as well as human beings. It is possible to check when the welding machines and the cutting machines are switched on, and to take data on the acetylene amount. We can record both vocally and visually what the skilled do.

In order to computerize these things for practical purposes, the improvements of infrastructures, the construction of easy-to-use human interface, and the mitigation of the burden in the operation had been required of hardware. Now such requirements have become accomplished at length.

When we put wearable computers on every component as well as every machine, it will become easy to control it automatically. At the moment, in the shipbuilding factories, we have to keep the record to know where the components are and at which production stage products are. However, if we input information into wearable computers as data with our voices at the work place, all the workers would be on-line and be aware of where the components are. As a result, the tasks that are now dependent on workers can be reduced.

When we think of the efficiency in manufacturing, we have to change the essence of the manufacture at first. When it comes to the shipbuilding field, the prices of Japanese ships are higher than those of Korean and Chinese ones. In order to decrease the prices, it is not enough only to make production lines efficient. We cannot defeat other countries unless we change the manufacturing system so we can provide the high-quality and high-security ships at very moderate prices.

It is sometimes said that, in fact, safety of the ships depends on welding. Recent Japanese ships do not have such problems, however, it is improper welding that usually causes a breakdown. If accuracy of welding is checked carefully, we can avoid incidents such. When some details -- for example, certain procedures lead to more mistakes in welding, a fewer mistakes are made in different procedures, or the skilled do well whereas the inexperienced don¡Çt -- are revised, they can gain competitive power with respect to the quality and the safety of ships apart from the prices.

In order to accurately do such things, there is no way but to use wearable systems for accumulating data. By using them, the activities at factories will become more efficient, and more sophisticated products will be produced. Wearable systems have some potentials to lead the very essential manufacturing revolution as it promotes matured industries further.

Construction of automatically adaptable database

We have manuals for operating planes as well as ships, and we have to follow them. However, the manuals have not yet been proved to be perfect. Are the manuals useful enough against sudden accidents such as unexpected troubles with the engines? Primarily, manuals are too thick to read and it is too troublesome for the captains and crews to remember all the contents of them.

Therefore, it is now considered that we exploit wearable systems for the task analysis of the ways those in the pilothouse act in encountering the sudden troubles. At first, during the control trainings for ship on the simulation system, we input the names and the actions with voices at the emergency situations and analyze them. If we input the radar screen in addition to the data, which shows who actually was acting and how in what situation, we can compare different ways of dealing with situations when there are various numbers of ships around the ship.

Moreover, if some kind of software for managing voyages of ships is developed, the system can analyze our actions as it gives us orders. For example, it is useful in such a situation where value of fuel indicator may be wrong although the engine is functioning properly.

First, it is assumed that the engine is normal but the indicator is having a problem. So, the matter is reported to the captain. If the engine itself may be out of order, it is also reported to the engine room and the operating manager on land. These successions of actions should be automatically done.

Up until now, the engine room manager needs to telephone all the related divisions to inform any matters. However, by using such software as operating management system, necessary messages are sent all at once by e-mail. When e-mail is not sufficient, alarm sounds can also be sent. We can check whether the recipients read it or not, and can also check whether they respond appropriately. The system can manage everything.

Then, when the engine is out of order, the system requires the examination of some parts of the indicator for the gage operator. Those receiving the order have to examine it as they are told to do. The task reports of the workers prove that they did the work correctly or not, and so we can manage all the tasks done by receiving their reports.

By recording all these responds in the system, we can accumulate such successive processes as useful knowledge for the failure of the indicators and the replacements of the components. When a fuel indicator goes wrong, we now can place an order to send messages to the operator of the indicator, the operator of the engine, and the operating manager. Then, the system orders again to tell them the things to be checked. Once the problem is solved through the procedure, the computer directly orders the gage operator to check certain areas before sending e-mails to everyone. If such knowledge is accumulated systematically, there is no need to call all the departments because only small numbers of operators can check and fix problems. If a similar incident happens again, the operators can realize and handle the problems more quickly. All the tasks are therefore done more and more efficiently.

Then, by accumulating all the cases, the database will become the all-purpose one. Until now, the operators still have to ask the operating manager on land and the captain deals with the problems on the basis of his or her own experience. However, by using wearable instruments, all the items that should be checked will be listed very smoothly. Moreover, the computer can figure out what sort of aberration causes unusual numbers on the indicator with specific percentages so we can find right solution easily.

Essential revolution of the manufacturing environment

Of course there are some action assignments. Although the miniaturization of computers has been proceeding, the instruments of today¡Çs wearable systems are still too large to use. Just as in the construction industry, workers often work at about fifty meters high from the ground as they usually build ships as large as huge buildings in shipbuilding industry. Wearable instruments need to be downsized and lightened more and more in order to be worn.

Wearable instruments cannot handle visual information and will overflow unless their storage capacities are increased. On the other hand, some kind of software that does not need much memory capacities should be developed as well. By using such hardware and software, processing data can be increased in designing, and not only two dimension drafts but also three dimension structures can be viewed. We can check the structures with a good grasp of the whole tasks as we proceed with our work by viewing the structure at different angles.

There also are problems of electric power supplies. In order to be able to use the instruments continually during tasks, developing batteries that consume a little energy is much expected. The development of software which meets the needs of the industries that are willing to introduce the wearable information instruments to work is also expected. When these aims are achieved, wearable systems will be applied to various kinds of fields in the future.

For example, how about applying wearable computers to the works in the hospital? Nurses could carry devices on arm to obtain the data on the patients such as their symptoms, the medicine to be taken, and their blood types through the wireless LAN in the hospital. Wearable computers could be used instead of medical reports. Or, if the nurses can read the bar codes on the patients and send their blood information to the network server, the simple medical malpractices such as misjudging blood type can be prevented beforehand.

Wearable instruments would be often used in service industry, too. In a huge hotel, various kinds of data could be taken from wearable computers. For instance the information of the arriving guests in a day, lists for the VIP members and the groups, phrases to be used for special guests, various tours and travel information around the hotel, the weather forecast, and the metro map. All the attendants including receptionists, bellboys, and floorwalker can deal with the customers with the high level of the services. The regulars are the very important assets in the service industries so being able to find guests¡Ç personal data quickly anytime would surely lead to the improvement of the service. And anyone could do it using the instruments. Now the input and the output of the data is a little troublesome, however, the wearable instruments will be widely used if interfaces like voice input system is once improved.

In the fields of the service industry and other so-called low-technology industries there still have been some parts where workers have to rely on the experiences and the senses of the veterans and the skilled. In other words, certain skills are difficult to be described verbally, and the key technologies have not been standardized. The senses acquired by the skilled and difficult technical words have been obstacles to the standardization. However, the introduction of the wearable information system would enable us to learn the senses and experiences from common data. This is thought to bring out the essential revolution in the industrial environment.