Communications of the ACM
Iphone The Work Tool For Sustainable Factories of the Future
Chalmers Professor Johan Stahre
Jan-Olof Yxell / Chalmers
The European Union-backed MyCar project is a collaborative effort involving Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology and the Volvo Group that is developing manufacturing assistance tools based on the iPhone. "In assembly work of the future we believe that iPhone-based work tools could be just as common as powered hand tools and automated screwdrivers are today," says Chalmers professor Johan Stahre. "The new tools are important to productivity but also to environmental and social sustainability of complex assembly work."
Wearable information tools could cut down on the amount of paper used in assembly plants and provide operators with clear, accurate, and updated instructions. Late and rapid product alterations could be made more easily to accommodate customer requests and requirements. A wearable information tool also could supply operators with information when and where it is needed.
By improving the work environment, operators can focus on core assembly tasks instead of having to read and memorize instructions. The new iPhone or iPod Touch information systems are being field tested at the Volvo Trucks pilot assembly plant.
"The operators are very positive to the new opportunities that are opened up with this information tool," Stahre says. "Several operators who tested it said that they would to start using the new iPod Touch tool tomorrow if they could."
From Chalmers University of Technology
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