An architecture for remote guidance service

Modern maintenance service requires better support for maintenance teams when local maintenance personnel do not have knowledge to manage complicated maintenance tasks, but needs to be guided by a remote expert. In this paper, a software architecture for a service enabling a remote expert to guide a maintenance person via video connection is proposed. The service allows maintenance technicians to send video stream from site to remote support center, where an expert can give feedback and instructions by adding virtual objects (e.g. pointers or 3D models of the object maintained) to the video stream. The maintenance technician can see the virtual objects in the live video stream on her mobile terminal. In the proposed service, a maintenance person has a mobile terminal equipped with screen and camera (such as smartphone or tablet, in a future Augmented Reality headset), capable for sending and receiving video stream. Remote expert has a standard computer with a modern browser. Both users are connected to an application server, running a WebRTC capable media server, such as open source Kurento platform. Augmenting the virtual objects into video stream is implemented on the media server. The manipulated stream is then rerouted to the users. Previous architectures are based on either proprietary technologies (e.g. Microsoft HoloLens or native mobile terminal apps) or restricted by capabilities of the mobile terminals (e.g. browser based Augmented Reality applications). Proposed architecture allows use of the best available video manipulation technologies even if they are not implemented in the mobile terminal used.