Microvision's Nomad Augmented Vision System Increases Mechanic Efficiency by 39% in Trial
BOTHELL, Wash.--May 27, 2003--Microvision, Inc. today announced that in a field trial of the Nomad Augmented Vision System at the American Honda Motor Company training center, Torrance, CA, Microvision and Honda measured average increases of 39% in the efficiency of skilled service technicians performing complex repair procedures.
Highlighted in a New York Times article on May 25, 2003, the trials were conducted as part of an evaluation by Honda to measure the effectiveness of Microvision's Nomad Augmented Vision System; a revolutionary head-worn display that can overlay automobile diagnostics and repair instructions directly on the technician's vision. American Honda Motor Company has over 1,500 Honda and Acura dealerships with about 18,000 technicians, as well as 50,000 Honda-certified independent technicians in the U.S. The technicians in each of these locations are potential users of the Nomad Augmented Vision System.
There are approximately 25,000 new car and truck franchises in the U.S. plus more than 160,000 after-market repair facilities, according to U.S. Government Census statistics. All face the challenge of increasing complexity in new vehicles and a critical shortage of trained technicians.
"It's ultimately all about customer satisfaction," said Allan Snow, Manager Service Information, American Honda Motor Company. "Fielding enough qualified and trained technicians throughout our dealerships is a constant challenge. Honda is embarked on applying technology as a solution. We are excited about the potential of the Nomad System in bringing diagnostic data and instructions for specific procedures right to the technicians' visual field while keeping his or her hands free. By improving productivity and quality, not only does the customer get the car back faster, but Honda and our dealerships can meet our common goal of making sure the car is fixed the first time, every time."
Bruce Ridley, manager of industrial marketing at Microvision stated, "the results of this field trial are a strong validation of the performance and ultimate value of the Nomad System for any potential customer who is concerned about increasing productivity, quality or safety in their operations. The economic payback of achieving a 39% increase in efficiency and reducing the amount of time it usually takes to conduct costly procedures is enormous. Nomad can keep the procedural information in the technician's vision at all times, and is able to overlay the data and instructions directly in front of them while they use tools and testing equipment. This new way of working, called augmented vision, saves significant time for technicians by eliminating the need to go back and forth to printed manuals or computer kiosks."
In a study performed by Salire Partners and commissioned by Microvision, a formula for return on investment (ROI) with the use of the Nomad Augmented Vision Systems has been created for a typical automotive dealership. At a conservative 18 - 20% time efficiency gain, a dealership could realize an ROI of $2,292 per technician per month. Annualized for eight technicians the ROI can be as high as $113,000.
For confidentiality reasons, Microvision and Honda did not comment on the details of the next steps of their working relationship, but did indicate that they are planning an additional evaluation to further develop and integrate the Nomad System using a wireless 802.11 connection to Honda's Integrated Service Information System (ISIS) kiosks.
About Microvision: www.microvision.com
Headquartered in Bothell, Washington, Microvision Inc. is the developer of highly patented scanned beam technology for display and imaging applications. The company's technology has applications in a broad range of military, medical, industrial, professional and consumer information products.