You know that moment when your car starts making a strange noise, you take it to the mechanic and they spend the next hour figuring out what’s wrong? Now imagine that mechanic putting on a pair of smart glasses to pull up repair instructions without ever reaching for a phone or computer.
NAPA is bringing virtual reality and smart glasses into the auto repair shop. Its new XcceleratoR platform is designed to help mechanics learn new repair skills through virtual training and get hands-free assistance while working on actual vehicles. Considering how complicated modern cars have become, this might be one of the more practical uses of VR we have seen outside gaming.
Practicing repairs without touching your car
One of the biggest pieces of NAPA XcceleratoR is its immersive training system, which lets technicians practice repairs in a simulated workshop. Using XR goggles, mechanics can watch repair procedures from the perspective of an experienced technician before attempting the work themselves. They can then pick up virtual tools, interact with vehicle components and repeat procedures while receiving immediate feedback. You can think of it as a flight simulator, except instead of learning how to land a Boeing 737, you’re learning how to diagnose and repair a vehicle.
The complete curriculum includes 53 lessons, more than 148 hours of immersive training and 170 tests. The instruction is also available in English and Spanish, with preparation aligned to ASE G1, A4 and A5 certification.
A repair assistant for mechanics
The other major feature of the platform is Technician Smart Glasses. Instead of walking away from a vehicle to look up repair information on a computer or phone, mechanics can use voice commands to access repair guidance while working.
The glasses connect to the NAPA XcceleratoR mobile app, pulling information from NAPA Know How, Solera’s Identifix Direct-Hit XR and AutoVitals. This way, technicians can ask questions and receive spoken repair information while keeping their hands available for the actual job.
NAPA wants to fix the mechanic skills gap
There is a workforce angle behind all this technology. NAPA XcceleratoR includes an assessment feature that uses XR goggles to evaluate a technician’s existing abilities. The approximately 45-60-minute assessment identifies strengths and skill gaps, helping shop managers decide where additional training or coaching might be useful.
Instead of handling every mechanic as though they need the same training, shops can focus development on the skills individual technicians actually need.
The platform also brings together several automotive industry organizations. NAPA contributes repair information and its shop network, Solera provides diagnostic resources through Identifix, AutoVitals brings digital inspection and workflow expertise, ASE contributes its certification experience and Skillmaker supplies the immersive learning technology.
AutoVitals workflow integration is still in development, so not every part of the system is fully connected yet.
Pimping your car repair shop
NAPA XcceleratoR officially launched at SEMA on November 3, with demonstrations taking place at the Las Vegas convention. The platform is designed for both new and experienced technicians, giving shops a way to train employees, identify weaknesses and provide repair information directly where the work happens.
It’s not quite the futuristic garage where robots fix everything while humans sip coffee. But a mechanic getting virtual practice and a hands-free repair assistant before working on your car definitely makes for a better experience. And if this means fewer repair mistakes and less time spent figuring out what went wrong under the hood, your next mechanic wearing VR goggles might actually be a very good sign.