Camera 3D positioning mixed reality-based interface to improve worker safety, ergonomics and productivity (original) (raw)

Mixed reality-based user interface for quality control inspection of car body surfaces

Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 2019

In recent years, the quality control of car body surfaces production lines have been put in the context of Industry 4.0. The emergence of automatic defect detection systems have helped to standardize the brand quality and gather information about all quality control tasks performed by workers. However, current worker interfaces used to indicate the location and other characteristics of the defects found by these systems have overcome the ergonomics of workers and increased their stress at work. This paper presents a novel mixed reality-based user interface for quality control inspection which is more intuitive, in order to improve the ergonomics of workers, reduce their stress at work and improve the productivity of current quality control production lines. An experimental prototype is shown in the paper in order to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed interface. In addition, the paper shows the results of several usability tests that compare the proposed mixed reality-based user interface with current interfaces used in important factories such as Mercedes-Benz, analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of each interface.

Developing a Mixed Reality Assistance System based on Projection Mapping Technology for Manual Operations at Assembly Workstations

Manual tasks play an important role in social sustainable manufacturing enterprises. Commonly, manual operations are used for low volume productions, but are not limited to. Operational models in manufacturing systems based on “x-to-order” paradigms (e.g. assembly-to-order) may require manual operations to speed-up the ramp-up time of new product configuration assemblies. The implications of manual operations in any production line may imply that any manufacturing or assembly process become more susceptible to human errors and therefore translate into delays, defects and/or poor product quality. In this scenario, virtual and augmented realities can offer significant advantages to support the human operator in manual operations. This research work presents the development of a mixed (virtual and augmented) reality assistance system that permits real-time support in manual operations. A review of mixed reality techniques and technologies was conducted, where it was determined to use a...

360 Degree Mixed Reality Environment to Evaluate Interaction Design for Industrial Vehicles Including Head-Up and Head-Down Displays

Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality: Applications in Health, Cultural Heritage, and Industry, 2018

Designing and testing new information and safety features for industrial vehicles do not need to involve the realization of high-fidelity and expensive simulators. We propose a low-cost mixed reality environment which allows for rapid development and rearrangement of a virtual and physical setup of a simulator for industrial vehicles. Our mixed reality simulator allows for safe testing of controls, information, and safety features to support drivers of industrial vehicles. In this paper, we test the implications of showing extra digital information to excavator drivers through a virtual environment, an external head-up display as well as a head-down display. Through user tests we have seen first indications that projected information through our mixed reality system and content on a head-up display is perceived as more helpful and intuitive than using head-down displays, when controlling our industrial vehicle simulator. Moreover, we have seen that the fear of overseeing an obstacle or other important information is lower when using a head-up display, in comparison to other tested visualization options.

Interaction and Ergonomics Issues in the Development of a Mixed Reality Construction Machinery Simulator for Safety Training

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2007

We present the work on a simulator of construction machinery developed to train workers in their safe use. The simulation setup consists of a real versatile cabin placed on a motion platform in order to provide a realistic interaction with the system and a stereoscopic augmented reality system for visualization. We present some insights into the mixed reality setup we used for complex construction machines and discuss the interaction and usability problems that have arisen during its development and testing. Visualization has been implemented as a chroma-key-based mixed reality system, which combines the 3D virtual environment, the real cabin interior, and some superimposed messages to the user. As a result of our experience, we describe the main problems encountered from a usability and ergonomics point of view.

Application of Virtual Reality Techniques in Design of Ergonomic Manufacturing Workplaces

Procedia Computer Science, 2013

This paper presents possibilities of application of the immersive VR and the haptic technologies during the complex process of design and virtual prototyping of the manufacturing workplaces characterized with a high level of ergonomic quality. Two case studies are presented: a workplace for stud welding and a set of two workplaces, for hole drilling and manual assembly. In the first case study, haptic device with force feedback effect was used to improve ergonomics of main operator activities. In the second case study, immersive approach was used, namely Head-Mounted Device, tracking and gesture recognition systems, to test and improve ergonomics of the whole workplace. Application of VR techniques allows to present the virtual prototype of the workplace in its real operation environment, limiting the need for use of real mock-ups. Therefore, Virtual Reality allows to conduct a number of analyses related to designed prototypes, such as: dimensions of devices and possibilities of adjustment to height of the human operator, and arrangement of control and signaling devices according to the rules of ergonomic design. To conduct these analyses, full interaction between user and workplace must be programmed, including collision detection, kinematics of the devices and possibilities of activating their various functions in relation with other objects in the virtual scene.

Process management of ergonomic workplace based on augmented reality principles

Human Technology

Ergonomics is an important element of managing performance and productivity in a company. Nowadays, the ergonomic parameters are set in line with the implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept. The paper highlights the link between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), when combined with the traditional ergonomic procedure. Automation and digitization contribute to a significant extent to the creation of ergonomic workplaces and the elimination of the negative effects of non-ergonomic workplaces on people. The aim of the paper is to determine the essential elements of the system process approach to ergonomics management. This is achieved through an analysis of the current approaches from Industry 4.0 and a focus on the augmented reality approach. The backbone of the triple combination of "man-machine-environment" determines the ergonomic setting of work and the workplace. Subsequently, the presented case study examines the link between ergonomic workplace princ...

Industrial Augmented Reality: Concepts and User Interface Designs for Augmented Reality Maintenance Worker Support Systems

2020 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct), 2020

Maintenance departments of producing companies in most industrial countries are facing challenges originating from an aging workforce, increasing product variety, and the pressure to increase productivity. We present the concepts and the user interface (UI) designs for two Augmented Reality (AR) applications, which help to tackle these issues. An AR Guidance System will allow new and unexperienced staff to perform medium to highly complex maintenance tasks, which they currently incapable to. The AR Remote Service System enables technicians at the machine to establish a voice/video stream with an internal or external expert. The video stream can be augmented with 3D models and drawings so that problems can be solved remotely and more efficiently. A qualitative assessment with maintenance managers and technicians from three producing companies rated the AR application concept as beneficial and the UI designs as very usable.

Digitizing Human Work Places in Manufacturing Through Augmented and Mixed Reality

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

It is no longer obvious that the share of knowledge work in production environments is increasing. However, this is not the only reason why more attention needs to be paid to the human factor in production. It is therefore increasingly important to provide workers in a production environment with the best possible support for their knowledge tasks by using modern information and communication technologies. In particular, the technical innovations in terms of augmented and mixed reality offer a great potential to be implemented in relevant applications in connection with the ongoing digitization or digital transformation of production. Against this background, this paper shows how current knowledge-based work processes in production environments can be best supported by augmented and mixed reality technologies. For this purpose, the paper reviews the state of the art of augmented and mixed reality technologies and then outlines in two concrete industrial use cases from the manufacturing domain how human work can be digitally augmented to facilitate knowledge-intensive production tasks.

User Experience of Augmented Reality System for Astronaut's Manual Work Support

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

This paper introduces Augmented Reality (AR) system to support an astronaut's manual work, it has been developed in two phases. The first phase was developed in Europeans Space Agency's (ESA) project called "EdcAR-Augmented Reality for Assembly, Integration, Testing and Verification, and Operations" and the second phase was developed and evaluated within the Horizon 2020 project "WEKIT-Wearable Experience for Knowledge Intensive Training." The main aim is to create an AR based technological platform for high knowledge manual work support, in the aerospace industry with reasonable user experience. The AR system was designed for the Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality platform, and it was implemented based on a modular architecture. The purpose of the evaluation of the AR system is to prove that reasonable user experience of augmented reality can reduce performance errors while executing a procedure, increase memorability, and improve cost, and time efficiency of the training. The main purpose of the first phase evaluation was to observe and get feedback from the AR system, from user experience point-of-view for the future development. The use case was a filter change in International Space Station (ISS)-Columbus mock-up in the ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC). The test group of 14 subjects it included an experienced astronaut, EAC trainers, other EAC personnel, and a student group. The second phase the experiment consisted of an in-situ trial and evaluation process. The augmented reality system was tested at ALTEC facilities in Turin, Italy, where 39 participants were performing an actual real astronaut's procedure, the installation of Temporary Stowage Rack (TSR) on a physical mock-up of an ISS module. User experience evaluation was assessed using comprehensive questionnaires, and interviews, gathering an in-depth feedback on their experience with a platform. This focused on technology acceptance, system usability, smart glasses user satisfaction, user interaction satisfaction, and interviews, gathering an in-depth feedback on their experience with a platform. The analysis of the questionnaires and interviews showed that the scores obtained for user experience, usability, user satisfaction, and technology acceptance were near the desired average. Specifically, The System Usability Scale (SUS) score was 68 indicating that the system usability is already nearly acceptable in the augmented reality platform.