Raising the Repairability Bar with Augmented Reality | Dell Technologies United States

Repairability continues to be a priority for Dell, as we know users want more control over their devices – including repairs. As a longtime champion of repairability, Dell has changed the game with a first-of-its-kind augmented reality app for IT repairs, the Dell AR Assistant.

Because smart phones are already ingrained in everyday lives, Dell created a free application (available on IOS and Android) that provides a step-by-step augmented reality experience to help customers replace parts on their Dell systems.

Dell’s AR Assistant guides users through servicing and repair procedures for more than 100 Dell PCs and servers in seven different languages. Dell is currently working to add over 20 additional systems by the end of the summer. Check out this video for a brief demonstration of the Dell AR Assistant.

Our aim is to enable consumers to easily repair devices themselves where they are able. We’re looking to reduce repair time for issues that can be resolved by the users themselves, with a little help from Dell. We also have other repair options for those not interested in making the repairs themselves. Visit the Dell Tech Support page for more information on this.

The Dell AR Assistant also upholds our wide-reaching and longstanding commitment to sustainability. By making parts more accessible, replaceable and reusable, we can exhaust fewer resources and keep more circular materials in the economy. As you might know, these two core tenets – repairability and sustainability – were also reflected in Concept Luna, which we announced in December 2021.

The app’s development was fast tracked during the early months of the pandemic when technicians were unable to visit people’s homes. Currently, the use of the Dell AR Assistant is dependent on proper diagnosis first, then ordering parts through our technical support team. Our future plan is to make parts more readily and easily available for sale online for an even easier customer experience.

Dell provides product manuals and related resources online – and has for well over a decade. This includes downloads for software, drivers, BIOS, firmware, OS and security patches. The Dell AR Assistant is a natural extension of the manuals – in an easy-to-follow, customer-friendly format that can accessed from anywhere. AR Assistant users can see their devices and how to repair them using mixed reality and informational overlays on the machine being repaired, leveraging a smartphone camera. The app also has an augmented clone technology on select systems, which displays a cloned server in any desired space and allows a full 360 degree interaction with amazing realism.

We are excited to extend repairability to our customers directly and help them extend their systems’ lifespans. Ease of repair is a win for our customers and the environment – and we’re proud to enable the next generation of consumer repairability with the Dell AR Assistant.

For more information on the Dell AR assistant, please visit our FAQ.