Mobile 3D Representations for Device Troubleshooting

We are interested in supporting users in a real world application, that of troubleshooting malfunctioning office devices, such as printers or copiers. Basing upon findings from case studies of troubleshooting activities that we conducted, we are constructing a Mixed Reality troubleshooting system. The system allows end-users to try to solve the problem they are experiencing with the device by themselves, with online support available on the device, or by collaborating with a remote troubleshooter. The architecture of the system is centered on a 3D representation of the device augmented with status data of the actual device coming from its internal sensors. The 3D representation is provided to the end-users on the device screen and to the remote troubleshooters on their desktops and it offers a number of means to interact with it providing help for troubleshooting the device. The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate a new interaction mode with the virtual representation for the end-users that we are designing for our system and that is based on the use of a detachable device screen.Copyright © 2011 by ASME