Duke Energy Now Offers Mobile Virtual Tour of Microgrid Innovation Lab

Duke Energy, which is known for its approach to innovation and emerging technology, recently partnered with Index AR Solutions to create MicroTour, a virtual mobile tour app for a microgrid facility in Mount Holly, North Carolina.

The microgrid is part of Duke Energy’s emerging technology and training center. It can be fed from traditional facilities on the electrical grid, or it can be isolated from the grid and fed from its own advanced internal generation sources.

Duke Energy uses the facility as a testing ground for technology that will modernize the electric grid. Thanks to Index, users can now explore the microgrid from the palm of their hand.

Duke Energy turned to Index for help creating MicroTour, a mobile app that allows employees and visitors to learn more about the Mount Holly microgrid in real time regardless of their location.

The MicroTour app uses AR, videos and photos to create an immersive tour of microgrid yard. People on location can use the app and smartphone camera to scan the microgrid yard and see overviews of each piece of equipment, including specifications and streaming real-time status.

Offsite users can use MicroTour’s virtual flyover to explore a 3D model of the microgrid and 20 pieces of select equipment. Tapping a beacon on each piece of equipment provides a short video, rich description and photos. A built-in live stream enables MicroTour users to monitor the site in real time.

MicroTour is available in the Apple App Store and coming soon for Android devices. It was recently featured in Duke Energy | illumination, a weekly newsletter showcasing stories about people, innovations, and community and environmental issues.

MicroTour is just one of the latest AR-based workforce training and education innovations released from Index. The  product library now includes nearly 240 unique mobile apps and eBooks being created through the company’s SuperApp® Development model.