Series · What the science says
30 years of research on augmented reality in maintenance
Manent — July 9, 2026
Smart glasses look like a 2025 novelty. In reality, the idea of guiding a
technician with a superimposed display has been studied for more than thirty
years — and the research is clear about what works and what
doesn't.
What the research says
The very term « augmented reality » was coined in 1992 at
Boeing by Caudell and Mizell, to help workers wire aircraft by
overlaying instructions onto their field of vision. The result was already
measured at the time: fewer errors, less training time.
Thirty years later, systematic reviews in the field converge on one point:
the value of AR in maintenance is not the visual gadget, it is the
knowledge management it makes possible — capturing what the
expert does, transferring it to the novice, applying it at the right moment
(for example the DILEAF framework, 2025). The research also
insists: the display must bring the right information at the right
moment, without overwhelming the technician.
What we do at Manent
Our position is clear, and it follows the science: the phone is the
brain, the glasses are a support. We don't sell an optical gadget,
we bring the right sourced answer to where the technician has their hands
busy.
- The citation opens at the right moment. An answer drawn
from a training video cites the exact minute and can open the
passage — the right information, at the right instant, as the research
recommends.
- Machine context first. The assistant knows which
equipment and which version are in front of the technician before
answering — no generic advice.
- A contract, not a toy. The same display works on the
phone today and on glasses tomorrow, without rebuilding the engine: the
value remains the sourced answer, not the hardware.
Safety first: the research, like common
sense, requires it — you never drive a vehicle or operate a machine in
motion with an active AR display. Help arrives when stopped, at the
station.
Honesty: the glasses layer is a delivery
channel, not the heart of the product. The heart is the assistant that
answers while citing its source — available today on phone and web.
References
- Caudell, T. P. & Mizell, D. W. (1992). Augmented Reality: An
Application of Heads-Up Display Technology to Manual Manufacturing
Processes. Boeing / IEEE.
- DILEAF framework (2025): augmented reality as a catalyst for knowledge
management in industrial maintenance (peer-reviewed).
- Recent systematic reviews on industrial maintenance assisted by augmented
reality (remote and on-site).
See the assistant in action