Dispatching car parts will become much easier for Audi workers after a trial of scanner-gloves was successful at the German car-maker’s Ingolsstadt plant.
Audi tested the ProGlove for four weeks and has now deployed the first gloves into its CKD Packing area. This is the first step towards widespread use of so-called wearables in production.
Logistics workers will now use the ProGlove, with its embedded barcode scanner. This means they have both hands free and can work more ergonomically.
After a four week pilot phase, Audi employees are now using the ProGlove in five positions in the Ingolstadt plant.
The scanner glove has replaced conventional barcode scanners at selected parts of the plant.
The employees trigger the scanning function by pressing the thumb and first finger together. This means that they have both hands free for their work and save additional hand movements, like picking up and putting down the scanner.
It also minimises walking and makes the working routines in CKD Packing more ergonomic.
“The development of ProGlove follows the idea that wearable electronics have to support the employees. That’s why we have developed a light glove for industry that is intuitive to use, and which can be deployed without any integration expense,” says Thomas Kirchner, chief executive of ProGlove.
The employee doesn’t have to focus on the barcode, because the scanning function is integrated in the natural hand movement. By means of optical (LED light), acoustical (buzzer) and tactile (vibration) signals, the employee knows that the article has been scanned.
In parallel with CKD Packing in Ingolstadt, the glove is also being tested in pilot phases in other areas of production at Audi.
