How JigSpace helped Swoop Aero effectively train remote communities on complex drone technology using Augmented Reality.
Making remote learning easy with Augmented Reality training courses
Swoop Aero, is an air logistics company that’s dedicated to providing the world’s leading technology platform for sustainable and scalable drone logistics.
The challenge
For some of the most remote communities on Earth, getting access to life-saving vaccines is an ongoing challenge. In Vanuatu – an archipelago of 83 volcanic islands in the South Pacific – many children miss vital immunizations due to the difficulties faced in delivering to their homes. But with the help of drone technology, that’s beginning to change.
In 2018, Swoop Aero, in conjunction with UNICEF and the Vanuatu Ministry of Health, launched the first medical drone delivery service in Vanuatu. Its first recipients were to be 13 children and 5 pregnant women on the remote island of Erromango.
But how do you train remote communities to operate the latest drone technology if they’ve never even seen an airplane up close? Let alone flown in one?
To prepare them for this momentous occasion, Swoop Aero enlisted the aid of JigSpace to help train drone operators using interactive presentations and Augmented Reality training courses.
The solution
A piece of 3D software was the last thing Eric Peck, CEO of Swoop Aero, thought he needed. But when he saw his CAD files transformed into realistic and immersive interactive presentations, he soon changed his mind. Not only could Augmented Reality training courses be produced quickly and cost-effectively; the accessibility of the software also meant that learning material could easily be shared to hundreds of users on the ground with little more than an iPhone or iPad.
“As soon as Eric saw JigSpace, he asked us to help them solve a problem – how to educate and train people to use their drone technology.”
Zac Duff, Co-founder and CEO of JigSpace
And so, Swoop Aero began their collaboration with JigSpace, converting their drone model from a static STEP CAD file into a realistic Jig that could be viewed from all angles in AR. This Jig was to become a core aspect of the training for operators in Vanuatu, which included healthcare staff in the region.
The Jig could accurately convey the size of the drone, how it would land, and how to offload cargo; all viewed right on the ground in front of them using AR technology.
The AR training courses were easy to manage and simple to keep up-to-date. When engineering modifications needed to be made to new Swoop Aero drone models, it was a simple matter of updating the CAD-based engineering content from SolidWorks to JigSpace via the STEP format. The code-free JigSpace platform also meant that operations and marketing staff could edit and format content with ease.
Updated Jigs could instantly be shared with healthcare workers in the regions, who needed to be made aware of any changes to the drone instructions as they happened. Swoop Aero staff were also able to monitor the interactive presentations to ensure that they were being rolled out to the communities by each local partner.
Another key Jig feature for Swoop Aero was its offline mode, which enabled healthcare staff to view or present the Augmented Reality training courses without an internet connection – a must-have feature when working in remote communities.communities by each local partner.
The results
According to Eric Peck, this AR training method not only helped operators feel more at ease with the drones, it also sped up the entire vaccine delivery process.
“It’s allowed us to deliver the most cost-effective heath outcomes we can, and rapidly expand the number of recipients that we were able to train.”
Eric Peck, CEO of Swoop Aero
In 2019, Swoop Aero commenced delivery of medical supplies to other locations in Malawi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2020, they joined forces with UK Aid to transfer TB samples via drones in Mozambique.
“The JigSpace AR app is at the center of all the training packages that we’re rolling out, everywhere we operate.”
Eric Peck, CEO of Swoop Aero
Let us show you how you can showcase your complex product by using JigSpace for product demos and training.
