SplatOverflow: Asynchronous Hardware Troubleshooting

TL;DR

SplatOverflow introduces an asynchronous hardware troubleshooting workflow using 3D Gaussian Splat scenes for effective remote support and maintenance of end-user hardware, enhancing scalability and usability.

Contribution

It proposes a novel boundary object, the SplatOverflow scene, for remote hardware troubleshooting, enabling shared, recontextualizable workflows for non-experts.

Findings

Non-experts can effectively troubleshoot 3D printer issues using SplatOverflow.

The system facilitates sharing and reusing troubleshooting instructions.

SplatOverflow improves scalability of hardware support workflows.

Abstract

As tools for designing and manufacturing hardware become more accessible, smaller producers can develop and distribute novel hardware. However, processes for supporting end-user hardware troubleshooting or routine maintenance aren't well defined. As a result, providing technical support for hardware remains ad-hoc and challenging to scale. Inspired by patterns that helped scale software troubleshooting, we propose a workflow for asynchronous hardware troubleshooting: SplatOverflow. SplatOverflow creates a novel boundary object, the SplatOverflow scene, that users reference to communicate about hardware. A scene comprises a 3D Gaussian Splat of the user's hardware registered onto the hardware's CAD model. The splat captures the current state of the hardware, and the registered CAD model acts as a referential anchor for troubleshooting instructions. With SplatOverflow, remote maintainers can directly address issues and author instructions in the user's workspace. Workflows containing multiple instructions can easily be shared between users and recontextualized in new environments. In this paper, we describe the design of SplatOverflow, the workflows it enables, and its utility to different kinds of users. We also validate that non-experts can use SplatOverflow to troubleshoot common problems with a 3D printer in a usability study. Project Page: https://amritkwatra.com/research/splatoverflow.