Applus+ successfully completed remote inspection of a 500-ton Crane

The crane was located in a restricted zone of Abu Dhabi, and due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team of technicians from Applus+ could not be mobilised to the client’s site. To overcome this challenge, our team deployed the Applus+ Remote Technical Assistant (ATR) Data Management software for the client, which allows an inspection to be completed remotely in real-time.  

By using this innovative technology, only one technician was required on-site to send the inspection data to the office-based team. The inspection was led by a Lifting Specialist and Senior Inspector, Balakumar M from the Applus+ office in Abu Dhabi, who commented: “The ATR system allows an inspection to be carried out remotely, without compromising the requirements of a regular site inspection.”

The technical team could communicate in real-time, which ensured the inspection was carried out efficiently and safely. The ATR system allows the on-site technician to record the inspection in high-definition video and add comments to the recorded material through an augmented reality feature. Through this augmented reality, the team can interact by adding annotations, text, symbols and drawings to the images that are captured during the inspection.

ATR also allows documents and other audio-visual material to be sent via a mobile device and shared with the team connected remotely. The ATR system allows large amounts of information to be collected and stored in the cloud server, facilitating the preparation of reports and allowing the client to access all of the inspection data. 

In this project, Applus+ was able to reduce travel time and fuel emissions, resulting in a more efficient and sustainable inspection method. Even though some facilities are located in remote areas where communication signals are weak, the ATR system can operate with low-speed data transfer to ensure there is no interference in the communication between the on-site technician and the office-based team. 

Abdul Rahman, Business Development Manager for Applus+ in the UAE, commented: “This technology allows us to overcome the current travel restrictions. The Applus+ Remote Technical Assistant software ensures that an inspection is conducted safely and efficiently.”