Deployed Virtual Consulting : The Fusion of Wearable Computing, Collaborative Technology, Augmented Reality and Intelligent Agents to Support Fleet Aviation Maintenance

This thesis addresses the need of Naval Aviation Maintenance to streamline and more effectively manage the process of technical consultation aboard deployed aircraft carriers. The current process involves the physical transportation of an appropriate technician to the carrier to perform required maintenance and/or repairs. In light of the technology currently available this process becomes obviously obsolete, overly costly and needlessly time consuming. By implementing wireless technology in combination with advanced software allowing the virtual collaboration of parties widely separated by geographical distance the Navy can establish a "virUal technical presence" onboard aircraft carriers wherever they may be in the world. This thesis will describe how the fusion of wearable computing, augmented reality, intelligent agents coupled with CoABS, and a modem collaborative software application can revolutionize Naval aviation maintenance as we know it. The technology is there - it only remains for the Navy to leverage it and take advantage of the significant returns that it will provide.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA is the author of 'Deployed Virtual Consulting : The Fusion of Wearable Computing, Collaborative Technology, Augmented Reality and Intelligent Agents to Support Fleet Aviation Maintenance', published 2004 under ISBN 9781423585794 and ISBN 1423585798.