Vuforia Step Check Brings AI-Enhanced Visual Inspection to Manufacturing

Written by: JJ Lechleiter
5/11/2023

Read Time: 1 min

Today, the Vuforia team is introducing PTC’s new, AI-enhanced visual inspection solution: Step Check™.

Step Check focuses on one of the most important stages of the manufacturing process: visual inspection for quality control. In other words, the part of the process where frontline workers determine if a part, component, or full product is manufactured or assembled correctly and in working order. Traditionally, these inspections are done with the naked eye and paper-based documentation, which puts added pressure on workers to make decisions quickly and runs the risk of mistakes and rework.

Step Check makes inspections more efficient and lessens the potential for mistakes by combining augmented reality and AI. Step Check guides workers through inspection tasks with context-aware, step-by-step AR work instructions that are overlaid on the physical part or product. As this is happening, the underlying AI can detect improper assemblies, missing or misaligned parts, or related faults. Color-coded pass/fail graphics displayed on the part or product in real time inform workers if an inspection step has passed or failed. Step Check automatically documents the inspection results and provides dashboards to analyze the performed checks.

Step Check’s AI model is trained in two ways. First, with the initial setup using 3D CAD models of the parts, components, or products being inspected. Second, workers can train the model directly with examples of pass and fail states. As Step Check is used, the AI models learn from workers’ decisions and improve over time. Vuforia’s computer vision capabilities allow Step Check to recognize things not contained in 3D CAD models, such as product-specific decals, stickers, or labels.

Step Check is part of Vuforia Expert Capture, PTC’s SaaS AR solution providing an easy-to-learn and collaborative environment to capture expert knowledge on-the-job and create AI-enhanced visual inspections.

For a visual demonstration of Step Check, check out this Step Check inspection video.

Explore Step Check

Discover how Step Check improves quality with AI-enhanced visual inspection. Watch the Video
Tags: Augmented Reality Digital Transformation Digital Transformation SaaS

About the Author

JJ Lechleiter

JJ Lechleiter is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Vuforia augmented reality business at PTC. Prior to this role, he served as Vice President of Product Management at PTC where he led product initiatives across Vuforia.

Lechleiter joined PTC in 2015 via acquisition from Qualcomm, where he was responsible for product management across the Vuforia Engine SDK. Today, Vuforia Engine has been used by more than one million developers and installed on more than one billion devices.

Prior to Qualcomm, Lechleiter was the Vice President of Product Management for Hands-On Mobile, a leading developer of mobile and web applications. As an Executive Producer, Lechleiter produced many of the most widely used mobile applications of the time. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Master of Business Administration from San Diego State University.