Over the last few years we’ve seen plenty of examples of how Wearable tech and augmented reality (AR) can benefit the workplace, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived on the doorstep of one of the world’s largest and oldest industries, construction.

During Intel’s Keynote presentation at CES 2016, the CEO and founder of DAQRI, human-machine interface and augmented reality specialists, spoke of how his company has been working with Intel to develop a powerful and smart AR hard hat for the 21st century.

If you’re not familiar with augmented reality, basically it’s a technology that projects holographic images in front of your eyes and mixes them with your physical environment – hence the word “augment” means “enhance” or “add to”.

The DAQRI Smart Helmet recognizes construction equipment – emphasis on electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems, and provides real-time visual instructions on how to repair and service them. In other words it will augment/overlay holographic work instructions right on top of real-life equipment.

The AR display is located out of view above the eyes so it won’t get in your way and cause distraction when it’s not needed. Then, when you need some smart visuals to guide you through a repair job the AR display drops down and Robert’s your father’s brother. When you’ve finished with the AR display it simply tucks itself back up above your peepers.

The DAQRI smart helmet works with software called Intellitrack that can understand your surrounding environment with visual inertia navigation allowing you to use 4D all around the work place. It has the ability to reconstruct a virtual model of entire workspaces and can combine data with other DAQRI helmets being worn around the site.

Did you ever look at a manifold or a radiator and think “I wish I could see inside it without opening it up”?? No, me neither. But if you have, DAQRI have you covered! That’s because their Smart Helmet also has Thermal Vision which gives workers X-Ray vision to see through objects and identify an internal problem that would be impossible to see with the naked eye, potentially fixing it before system overload or total meltdown.

Onboard this super hat is a 6th generation Intel core M7 processor, industrial-grade inertial measurement unit, a high-resolution depth sensor for precise tracking and alignment, wi-fi, Bluetooth, Intel’s Realsense camera technology and it’s controlled via a next-gen 4D user interface.

It comes with built-in industrial apps and an Android-based OS so companies using the helmet can develop their own apps

DAQRI claim their clever hard hat has more computing power than any other wearable, and it can actually make your job more enjoyable. It has already started shipping to the company’s Tier 1 partners so it won’t be long before plumbers, electricians, etc, are enjoying AR around the workplace and in theory getting the job done more efficiently.