Technology has played a central role in white-collar workplaces for decades, with a screen in front of every employee; now devices like Microsoft HoloLens is putting technology in the hands of workers who don't sit behind a desk
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — When Toby Bouska Jr. started assembling cabs for Kenworth semitrucks last year, he learned the ropes by observing longtime workers at the factory. But it wasn’t exactly engaging, and he didn’t get much practice doing the job himself.
“It’s them doing the job, and you just have to watch,” said Bouska, 21, who works at Kenworth’s plant in Chillicothe. “I’m not really good at just sitting there watching.”
But then his managers had him train in a new way: with a high-tech headset. They gave him a Microsoft HoloLens, a device that blends digital imagery with the real world. When he wore the headset, it overlaid digital arrows and diagrams over the parts he was looking at, helping to guide his work.
“With the HoloLens, it’s just you and the directions,” Bouska said. He said he had picked up his first new task in about 20 minutes.
After the success with Bouska’s training, Kenworth’s parent company, Paccar, has ordered 50 of the devices. Five will be coming to the Chillicothe plant, which employs more than 2,000 workers, and the manager plans to use them to train employees on at least two dozen tasks.
High-tech devices have played a central role in white-collar workplaces for decades, with a screen in front of nearly every face, and employees’ days spent on email, spreadsheets and video conferences. Now, companies like Microsoft see a multibillion-dollar opportunity to get more personal technology, including the HoloLens, in the hands of workers who don’t sit behind a desk.
©2019 New York Times News Service