PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE SPECIAL ISSUE ON APPLICATIONS OF AUGMENTED REALITY ENVIRONMENTS 1 Augmented Reality for Construction Site Monitoring and Documentation

Abstract—Augmented Reality allows for an on-site presentation of information that is registered to the physical environment. Applications from civil engineering, which require users to process complex information, are among those which can benefit particularly highly from such a presentation. In this paper, we will describe how to use Augmented Reality (AR) to support monitoring and documentation of construction site progress. For these tasks, the staff responsible usually requires fast and comprehensible access to progress information to enable comparison to the as-built status as well as to as-planned data. Instead of tediously searching and mapping related information to the actual construction site environment, our AR system allows for the access of information right where it is needed. This is achieved by superimposing progress as well as as-planned information onto the user’s view of the physical environment. For this purpose, we present an approach that uses aerial 3D reconstruction to automatically capture progress information and a mobile AR client for on-site visualization. Within this paper, we will describe in greater detail how to capture 3D, how to register the AR system within the physical outdoor environment, how to visualize progress information in a comprehensible way in an AR overlay and how to interact with this kind of information. By implementing such an AR system, we are able to provide an overview about the possibilities and future applications of AR in the construction industry

A Review on Potential Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Construction Industry

In the recent years, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been greatly used for different construction and operation applications of various types of construction projects. The main purpose of this paper is briefly reviewing the UAVs in the construction industry. In the building and construction industry, sustainable construction involves different issues among them, the design and management of projects can be named. In recent years, different types of technologies helped improve the management of projects; one of them is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). As a real-time capturing of data technology, UAV is used in the construction industry

Key functions in BIM-based AR platforms

The integration of Augmented Reality and Building Information Modelling is a promising area of research; however, fragmentation in literature hinders the development of mature BIM-based AR platforms. This paper aims to minimise the fragmentation in the literature by identifying the key functions that represent the essential capabilities of BIM-AR platforms. A systematic literature review is employed to identify, categorise, and discuss the key functions. The outcome of this paper identifies six key functions: positioning (P), interaction (I), visualisation (V), collaboration (C), automation (A), and integration (T). These key functions act as the foundation for an evaluation framework that can assist practitioners, developers, and researchers with assessing the requirements of the targeted application area, and hence be better informed on the appropriate devices, software, and techniques to use. Finally, this paper emphasises the importance of industrial-academic collaboration in BIM-AR research and suggests prospects for automation through the application of artificial intelligence

Towards Assembly Information Modeling (AIM)

Nowadays digital tools support architects, engineers and constructors in many specific tasks in the construction industry. While these tools are covering almost all aspects of design and manufacturing, the planning and design for the assembly of buildings remain an unexplored area. This research aims to lay the foundations of a new framework for the design for assembly in architectural applications entitled Assembly Information Modeling. In practice, it is a central digital model containing the structure architectural design, construction details, three dimensional representations, assembly sequences, issue management and others. This framework forms the base for a multitude of novel applications for assembly design, planning and execution, such as assembly simulation and strategies communication, problem detections in the early design phases and interdisciplinary coordination. This paper describes the specifications of the digital assembly model and illustrate two use cases: collaborative assembly design using AEC cloud-based platforms and Augmented Assembly using Augmented reality devices

Augmented Reality in Industry 4.0

Since the origins of Augmented Reality (AR), industry has always been one of its prominent application domains. The recent advances in both portable and wearable AR devices and the new challenges introduced by the fourth industrial revolution (renowned as industry 4.0) further enlarge the applicability of AR to improve the productiveness and to enhance the user experience. This paper provides an overview on the most important applications of AR regarding the industry domain. Key among the issues raised in this paper are the various applications of AR that enhance the user's ability to understand the movement of mobile robot, the movements of a robot arm and the forces applied by a robot. It is recommended that, in view of the rising need for both users and data privacy, technologies which compose basis for Industry 4.0 will need to change their own way of working to embrace data privacy

A critical analysis of the application of augmented reality (AR) for monitoring and documentation of construction site progress in the Irish AEC industry.

Sarnot, L. (2021) A critical analysis of the application of augmented reality (AR) for monitoring and documentation of construction site progress in the Irish AEC industry, Capstone Project from the MSc in aBIM

Utilizing industry 4.0 on the construction site : challenges and opportunities

In recent years a step change has been seen in the rate of adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by manufacturers and industrial organisations alike. This paper discusses the current state of the art in the adoption of industry 4.0 technologies within the construction industry. Increasing complexity in onsite construction projects coupled with the need for higher productivity is leading to increased interest in the potential use of industry 4.0 technologies. This paper discusses the relevance of the following key industry 4.0 technologies to construction: data analytics and artificial intelligence; robotics and automation; buildings information management; sensors and wearables; digital twin and industrial connectivity. Industrial connectivity is a key aspect as it ensures that all Industry 4.0 technologies are interconnected allowing the full benefits to be realized. This paper also presents a research agenda for the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies within the construction sector; a three-phase use of intelligent assets from the point of manufacture up to after build and a four staged R&D process for the implementation of smart wearables in a digital enhanced construction site