Sawing-machine and storage-system manufacturer Kasto (www.kasto.com) has for many years fitted its equipment with an optional remote trouble-shooting facility that allows its staff to connect to a user’s equipment online and rectify faults or optimise processes, without the need for a site visit by a maintenance engineer.

The company has now expanded the service with Visual Assistance, which allows customers to participate in maintaining their own machines and systems.

By means of an interactive app on a tablet, smartphone or smart glasses, users can send live videos to Kasto’s service experts and receive visual assistance and information in real time, minimising down-time in the event of a fault or during routine maintenance.

Customers can use the system to connect to service staff using audio as well as video streams, allowing users and Kasto’s engineers to share the same field of view, thereby helping to quickly identify individual system components and faults.

The app also allows Kasto to provide visual assistance and to superimpose annotations on the live video.

The customer receives all the necessary information directly on the display by means of augmented reality, while carrying out maintenance or repair work on the saw or storage system.

If using smart glasses, the person’s hands are free, making the job even easier.