Improving the efficiency of on-site operators in utility management: Combining HoloLens and AR for real-time check of electricity meters

The rapid evolution of sensors and devices capable of facilitating the adoption of augmented reality (AR) tools in the everyday work routine has motivated many actors of the public sector and private industry to explore the possibility of optimizing the workflow of their employees. Besides the entertainment and gaming fields, AR tools are currently used in a large number of professional application areas that range from maintenance of equipment to environment acquisition, modeling, and design. The objective of this paper is to present a use case for AR in the context of utility management, where one of the major Italian operators in the electricity sector has decided to improve the efficiency of the workflow of its employees through the adoption of an AR solution. Relying on the superimposition of virtual information on the acquired visual scene, the workers can obtain a complete overview of the area to be inspected. Furthermore, the use of wearable equipment allows for a seamless integration in the maintenance procedures, also complying with the prevailing safety regulations.