![AR PMI of machined part](https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/styles/480_x_480_limit/public/images/2021/08/23/Screenshot-Plate-Hand.png?itok=M0ZpUgWd)
Teodor Vernica examines product data virtually overlayed on a machined part using a NIST-developed pipeline for visualizing manufacturing and quality information using standard data formats.
Teodor Vernica
Imagine a manufacturer picking up a machined part and being able to see data on that part's geometry, how it's assembled, and its product manufacturing information (PMI). This is what Teodor Vernica, a NIST research associate in the Systems Integration Division, is working on. The work revolves around a technology called augmented reality, in which digital information or representations are superimposed onto objects in the real world. Unlike virtual reality, in which users interact entirely with a virtual world, augmented reality superimposes information onto real-world objects to help guide users on how to interact with those objects.
As augmented reality technologies become more advanced and cheaper, manufacturers have begun using them to make their production systems more precise and efficient. Large industries are using the technology to train workers, tour and inspect factories, safely limit human exposure to machinery, and see the data associated with physical products in front of them.