At its board of directors meeting last month, the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) approved a $16,000 expenditure to test an augmented reality (AR) pilot project to demonstrate that RV technician “hands-on” testing as a viable alternative to the current written, 200-question, three-hour tech certification test.
The industry agrees that the written test is not the best option, the organization stated, especially for tactile learners who learn by doing. Testing by doing therefore maximizes their potential testing skills.
The augmented reality program is called “I See What You See,” a software/hardware application developed by Atheer and currently used by Porsche Motors, the trucking industry, and the marine industry connecting factory experts with dealership technicians to solve real-time problems.
The pilot project is designed to have five Florida dealerships, each with a pair of AR glasses (rented for the three-month pilot), connect with one of three industry experts available to view and witness a technician completing one of the Florida Distance Learning practical sign-off sheets from a remote location, simulating a testing situation.
The event will allow for recording both audio and video connectivity, with a review opportunity at the completion of the “test.” The goal is to test 10 technicians from each dealership as they perform their sign-off sheet activity. There will be ample data collected for each event available for review by our FRVTA Committee of Experts and presented to the FRVTA board in December.
Age, time in RV service, years of experience, time of event, and certification status are some of the data points being collected that should render a good profile of candidates.
