An application of the remote maintenance paradigm to semi-automated machines

The increasing need of fast maintenance on machines when issues arise, and the always-increasing globalization, requires companies to find new ways for assisting customers, which can be all over the world, in a fast and economic way. It is no longer possible to send out technicians wherever a maintenance is needed because this intervention has large costs in terms of time and money. If many solutions have been proposed in the context of automated machines and plants, still some research has to be carried out in the area of semi-automated machines. In fact, the behavior of such machines could depend upon how the operator uses it. This paper presents an application of Mobile Internet Devices (MID) as a tool for remote maintenance, leveraging its connectivity and sensors for acquiring streams of data, that can be sent to the vendor service center later on to be inspected by highly qualified personnel.