Heads-Up System Boosts Auto Repair Service

BOTHELL, Wash., May 30 -- The efficiency of skilled service technicians performing complex repair procedures increased 39 percent in a field trial of Microvision's Nomad augmented vision system at the American Honda Motor Co. training center, in Torrance, Calif.

As reported in a New York Times article on May 25 ("Looking Smart in the Service Bay"), the trials were conducted by Honda to measure the effectiveness of the Nomad system, a head-worn display that can overlay automobile diagnostics and repair instructions directly on a technician's vision. American Honda Motor Company has over ,500 Honda and Acura dealerships with about 18,000 technicians, as well as 50,000 Honda-certified independent technicians in the US. All are potential users of the Nomad system, Microvision said.

Allan Snow, manager of service information at Honda, said, "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."

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 percent time efficiency gain, Microvision said, 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.

Microvision and Honda said they plan further evaluations to develop and integrate the Nomad system using a wireless 802.11 connection to Honda's integrated service information system kiosks.

For more information, visit: www.microvision.com