Mixed reality application to support infrastructure maintenance

This paper presents a mixed reality (MR) application developed for the head-mounted display Microsoft HoloLens that supports infrastructure maintenance works in buildings with complex infrastructure. The solution is intended to help maintenance workers when they need to track and fix part of the infrastructure by revealing hidden infrastructure, displaying additional information and guiding workers in complex tasks. The application has the potential to improve maintenance worker's tasks as it can help them perform faster and with more accuracy. The work explores the creation of the application and discusses the methodologies used to build an optimal and user-friendly tool. The methodology is based on design science research: an improvement need, and not necessarily a problem, was identified, and from there a solution was conceived. MR has proven to be a major tool for helping in several areas, and this paper can give insights for many future solutions with mixed reality or HoloLens and help them build new and better applications to improve tasks at a job or at home.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The use of virtual reality to increase efficiency and profitability in different industries and functions: how head-mounted display can bring value to sectors with its competitive attributes

Objectives The main objectives of this study are to find how virtual reality (VR) used with head-mounted display is already used in industries, to discover the possible specific disadvantages and negative effects of using VR, and do they have influence on how open the market is for the change. In addition, this thesis aims to find what business functions could be improved by VR, and in what scale, and to analyze the competitiveness of VR, by comparing its prominence to other rival technologies, such as augmented reality. The final aim is to evaluate how wide-spread VR can become in the future, and which developments are needed to achieve this. Summary The thesis provides an overview of how VR could be used in business, by finding the most notable advantages and disadvantages of it, which industries and functions could benefit the most from using it, and what is the long-term value which it can bring to those businesses. In the process to find the answers, literature review considering the term, background, level of reality and acceptation of the platform is presented. In addition, primary data is gathered from brainstorming sessions and expert interviews. The findings are analyzed to evaluate different factors and feasible roles of VR. Conclusions The most notable advantages of VR are the immersiveness and thus substitution to real life, three-dimensional perception, and the wide availability to markets. Disadvantages include exclusion from the environment, the level of hardware and software development, and the overwhelming expectations. The functions to most benefit from virtual reality are training, design, and marketing, and example industries using those are building, retailing, and real estate. Virtual reality is facing some major hindrances, such as prejudices, unrealistic expectations, and the rise of augmented reality (AR). In the future, AR is likely to take market share from VR, but in general they will have different uses, and in long term mix together. Although, legislation is an issue to be addressed for widespread use of virtual environment

Application of augmented reality and robotic technology in broadcasting: A survey

As an innovation technique, Augmented Reality (AR) has been gradually deployed in the broadcast, videography and cinematography industries. Virtual graphics generated by AR are dynamic and overlap on the surface of the environment so that the original appearance can be greatly enhanced in comparison with traditional broadcasting. In addition, AR enables broadcasters to interact with augmented virtual 3D models on a broadcasting scene in order to enhance the performance of broadcasting. Recently, advanced robotic technologies have been deployed in a camera shooting system to create a robotic cameraman so that the performance of AR broadcasting could be further improved, which is highlighted in the paper

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) is a natural development from virtual reality (VR), which was developed several decades earlier. AR complements VR in many ways. Due to the advantages of the user being able to see both the real and virtual objects simultaneously, AR is far more intuitive, but it's not completely detached from human factors and other restrictions. AR doesn't consume as much time and effort in the applications because it's not required to construct the entire virtual scene and the environment. In this book, several new and emerging application areas of AR are presented and divided into three sections. The first section contains applications in outdoor and mobile AR, such as construction, restoration, security and surveillance. The second section deals with AR in medical, biological, and human bodies. The third and final section contains a number of new and useful applications in daily living and learning

AR technology in the design of oil and gas field surface engineering: Applications and prospects

Wearable devices based on Augmented Reality (AR) technology can overlay computer-generated images into the real world, whereas simulation is applied to enable users to view the real world with an overlay of digital data. In the past 10 years, AR technology has moved from research laboratories to gradually a wide range of commercially available technologies for its use in the medical, manufacturing, industrial design, entertainment, marketing and military applications. This review includes an overview of AR wearables in the last 5 years including its development milestone and application cases, where specifically, some successful application cases and implications of AR technology in the oil and gas industry in the past five years are reviewed, with the aim of discussing the aspects of AR technology applications in the design of oil and gas field surface engineering, from station and line designs to its use in supporting construction. Since AR technology can provide real-time information, it will have a non-negligible application prospect in the whole lifecycle of oil and gas field surface engineering from design to operation and maintenance and will occupy a place in the digital transformation of the oil and gas industry

Augmented Reality and Robotics: A Survey and Taxonomy for AR-enhanced Human-Robot Interaction and Robotic Interfaces

This paper contributes to a taxonomy of augmented reality and robotics based on a survey of 460 research papers. Augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR) have emerged as a new way to enhance human-robot interaction (HRI) and robotic interfaces (e.g., actuated and shape-changing interfaces). Recently, an increasing number of studies in HCI, HRI, and robotics have demonstrated how AR enables better interactions between people and robots. However, often research remains focused on individual explorations and key design strategies, and research questions are rarely analyzed systematically. In this paper, we synthesize and categorize this research field in the following dimensions: 1) approaches to augmenting reality; 2) characteristics of robots; 3) purposes and benefits; 4) classification of presented information; 5) design components and strategies for visual augmentation; 6) interaction techniques and modalities; 7) application domains; and 8) evaluation strategies. We formulate key challenges and opportunities to guide and inform future research in AR and robotics

Engaging immersive video consumers: Challenges regarding 360-degree gamified video applications

360-degree videos is a new medium that has gained the attention of the research community imposing challenges for creating more interactive and engaging immersive experiences. The purpose of this study is to introduce a set of technical and design challenges for interactive, gamified 360-degree mixed reality applications that immerse and engage users. The development of gamified applications refers to the merely incorporation of game elements in the interaction design process to attract and engage the user through playful interaction with the virtual world. The study presents experiments with the incorporation of series of game elements such as time pressure challenges, badges and user levels, storytelling narrative and immediate visual feedback to the interaction design logic of a mixed reality mobile gaming application that runs in an environment composed of 360-degree video and 3D computer generated objects. In the present study, the architecture and overall process for creating such an application is being presented along with a list of design implications and constraints. The paper concludes with future directions and conclusions on improving the level of immersion and engagement of 360-degree video consumers