In 2019, a fire occurred at the McMicken energy storage facility in Arizona, where solar-generated electricity is stored in large commercial batteries. One of the battery modules inside a storage container had overheated and caught fire, causing a build-up of gases. Unaware of conditions inside the container, first-responders opened the door, causing an explosion that sent four firefighters to the hospital and threw the captain 73 feet.

In response to the McMicken event, and other safety-related incidents at similar energy storage facilities, the Electric Power Research Institute () started looking for solutions to assist first-responders and site-operators to see what is happening inside battery containers without actually opening them up. They approached Â鶹Ăâ·Ń°ćĎÂÔŘBoulder researchers in the 's ACME Lab, asking for help to design and prototype an augmented reality application that would display safety-critical information on containers, allowing operators to immediately see from a distance whether a unit is operating normally and safe to open. 

The system they developed is called ARMAS—augmented reality maintenance and safety—a marker-based AR system that lets the user see color-coded visualizations of battery cells inside containers. Providing a kind of "X-ray" vision, the visual display immediately pulls up temperature, voltage and current for any container viewed. If hazardous conditions are detected, alerts are sent and directions given, guiding users to a safe area. They are also provided with contact information for a subject matter expert. Along with safety applications, ARMAS can also help with day-to-day maintenance by visually linking to relevant component manuals and displaying 3D directions to guide technicians to areas that need attention.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5mSU8zev38&t=4s]

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