Use of Extended Reality in the Metaverse for NDT

The following is a short summary a Materials Evaluation article on use of extended reality in NDT. (The “Extended Reality” of NDE) September 2022 Issue, Pages 13&14.

Background: Industries such as aerospace, defense, energy, renewables, automotive, and transportation require nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies for quality control, predictive maintenance, and asset management. The NDE ecosystem involves techniques, hardware, software, training, certification, procedures, standards, and regulatory bodies.

Current Practices: NDE still relies heavily on manual efforts, with certified personnel performing inspections, analyzing results, and making decisions. This process is subjective and prone to variability, leading to potential errors. There is a need for more effective training programs that simulate real-field conditions.

Emerging Technologies: Recent advancements in NDE technology include compact instrumentation, advanced sensors, digital data acquisition, signal processing, visualization, automation, AI, and analytics. These technologies enhance defect characterization, predictive maintenance, and remaining life assessment.

Extended Reality (XR): XR (augmented, virtual, and mixed reality) is emerging as a transformative technology for NDE. It enhances training and inspection by overlaying real-world environments with computer-generated sensory inputs, improving human cognition and perception.

• Provides real-time instructions and integrates NDE data with the physical environment.

• Enhances visualization of damages and guides complex maintenance tasks.

• Facilitates immersive education and training for inspectors.

• Enables remote inspections with expert guidance.

• Supports big data analytics and collaborative decision-making.

Outlook: XR, combined with AI, digital twins, robotics, and other technologies, will revolutionize NDE and inspection processes. It will improve productivity, reliability, and safety in industrial settings, and drive the digital transformation of the inspection industry.

Takeaway for Business Leaders: To address the shrinking NDT workforce, integrating XR and AI technologies can significantly enhance training, inspection accuracy, and efficiency. Investing in these technologies will prepare the industry for future challenges and ensure the sustainability of NDT operations.