AR Gauge Scanner Mobile Application

This paper showcases an innovative mobile application powered by IR4.0 technologies including augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose of this application is to enable digital transformation of analog gauges, digitize their measurements, automate historical data storage, visualize trends, and provide useful information about the gauge to the operator. Utilizing this application will replace the current practice of manual recording of readings in order to reduce human errors as well as promote operational efficiency. With this application, the operator simply points the mobile device's camera towards the gauge and the image is converted to a digital measurement using computer vision algorithms. The digitized readings are sent to a remote database for recordkeeping and data analytics. In order to identify which gauge is being scanned, which is necessary for proper recordkeeping, the application detects a unique QR-code tag attached to the gauge. Additionally, the application utilizes AR technology to overlay gauge specific information (such as gauge type, safe operating range, fluid type, etc.) along with the digitized reading. Visualization of historical readings is another feature in the application that assists the operator in trend monitoring and decision making. Preliminary tests for the prototype application were carried out in a laboratory environment to demonstrate the working principle of this application. Although the technology is in its early stages of development, it shows promising results in terms of accuracy and speed of the computer vision algorithms to detect and digitize the analog gauges. The historical data recorded by the application can also be accessed via the control room using a web interface, where information from various gauges can be retrieved and visualized for analysis and monitoring. Overall, the presented application integrates computer vision and augmented reality to provide an effective solution for digitizing analog gauges while promoting digital transformation efforts within the industry.