Benefits of Using Augmented Reality in Planning, Construction and Post-Construction Phases in Specialty Contracting

abstract: The construction industry has been growing over the past few years, but it is facing numerous challenges, related to craft labor availability and declining productivity. At the same time, the industry has benefited from computational advancements by leveraging the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to create information rich 3D models to enhance the planning, designing, and construction of projects. Augmented Reality (AR) is one technology that could further leverage BIM, especially on the construction site. This research looks at the human performance attributes enabled using AR as the main information delivery tool in the various stages of construction. The results suggest that using AR for information delivery can enhance labor productivity and enable untrained personnel to complete key construction tasks. However, its usability decreases when higher accuracy levels are required. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by empirically testing and validating the performance effects of using AR during construction tasks and highlights the limitations of current generation AR technology related to the construction industry. This work serves as foundation of future industry-based AR applications and research into potential AR implementations.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 201

Interaktiiviset kokoonpano-ohjeet

Industrial products are increasingly varying, and the assembly of customized or unique products is slow, expensive, and prone to errors. Conventional static assembly drawings and instructions are suboptimal in supporting complex and dynamic assembly operations. The main objective of the study was to investigate if interactive assembly instructions could substitute the current documents instructing assembly in the case company. Two approaches, 3D instructions and augmented reality (AR) instructions, were developed based on literature review. 3D instructions presented the assembly procedure in steps in which the assembly of the parts is animated. The instructions were based directly on the 3D model of the assembly object. AR instructions utilized the same assembly sequence as 3D instructions. AR instructions were viewed using a head-mounted display, which presented the assembly step animations spatially overlaid on the physical assembly. The developed instructions were evaluated in a user study. The tests were observed by the author, and the participants answered to a post-study questionnaire that concerned subjective efficiency and user acceptance. Both AR instructions and 3D instructions received positive feedback and were evaluated more efficient than the currently used assembly drawings. The features of the interactive assembly drawings address directly the problems of the current assembly documents. Hence, it was concluded that interactive assembly instructions could be used instead of the current assembly drawings and work instructions. However, the complexity of the case company products require that the instructions must be configurable to enable their implementation.Teolliset tuotteet kehittyvät jatkuvasti monipuolisemmin muunneltaviksi, ja samalla niiden kokoonpano muuttuu hankalammaksi ja kalliimmaksi. Perinteiset kuviin ja tekstiin perustuvat kokoonpanokuvat ja työohjeet ovat monin tavoin riittämättömiä ohjeistamaan monimutkaisia ja dynaamisia kokoonpanotehtäviä. Tässä työssä tavoitteena oli tutkia, voisiko interaktiivisilla kokoonpano-ohjeilla korvata kohdeyrityksessä nykyisin käytössä olevat työohjeet ja kokoonpanokuvat. Työssä kehitettiin aikaisempien tutkimusten pohjalta kaksi erilaista interaktiivista ohjeistustapaa. 3D-ohjeet opastavat kokoonpanoa vaihe vaiheelta näyttäen jokaisen osan asennuksen animoidusti. 3D-ohjeet luodaan suoraan kokoonpanon 3D-mallin pohjalta. Toiseksi menetelmäksi valikoitui lisättyä todellisuutta (augmented reality, AR) hyödyntävät ohjeet. AR-ohjeet perustuvat 3D-ohjeita varten luotuihin vaiheistuksiin sekä animaatioihin. AR-ohjeita katsotaan silmikkonäytöllä, joka näyttää ohjeiden virtuaaliset komponentit todellisen kokoonpanon päällä. Ohjeiden toimivuutta testattiin käyttäjäkokeissa. Testeissä havainnoitiin koehenkilöiden toimintaa, ja lisäksi he vastasivat kyselyyn. Kyselyllä selvitettiin, miten tehokkaana koehenkilöt pitivät testattuja ohjeita verrattuna heidän tavallisesti käyttämiin kokoonpanokuviin. Sekä AR- että 3D-ohjeet saivat positiivista palautetta, ja koehenkilöt kokivat niiden toimivan tavallisia kokoonpanokuvia paremmin. Interaktiiviset ohjeet ja niiden tärkeimmät ominaisuudet vastaavat nykyisten kokoonpanokuvien ja työohjeiden ongelmakohtiin. Työn johtopäätöksenä voidaankin todeta, että interaktiiviset kokoonpano-ohjeet sopisivat korvaamaan nykyiset kokoonpanokuvat sekä työohjeet. Tuotteiden monimutkaisuus kuitenkin edellyttää, että ohjeet pitää pystyä konfiguroimaan varianttikohtaisesti

Use of alternative scanning devices for creation of 3D models of machine parts

Snimanje 3D informacija bilo koje površine i danas je još uvijek veliki izazov. Neke komercijalne tehnike i tehnologije snimanja u uporabi su nekoliko godina, ali je potreban hardver i softver koji je još uvijek preskup za korisnike. Ovaj članak daje nekoliko jeftinijijih alternativnih postupaka snimanja površine, na temelju "open source" elemenata za komercijalnu uporabu beskontaktnih 3D skenera i dokazuje da su dobiveni podaci pogodni ne samo za hobi prostornu digitalizaciju, nego i za uporabu u industriji. U dijelu rada ukratko je opisan proces digitalizacije s nekoliko freeware i shareware programa.Capturing of 3D information about any kind of surface is currently a big challenge. A few proven commercial techniques and technologies are in use for a couple of years, but needed hardware and software are still too expensive for ordinary users of PC. This article provides a few cheaper alternatives based on open source elements to commercial non-contact 3D scanners and proves that the obtained data are suitable not only for hobby home spatial digitization but also for requisites in the industry. In various parts of the contribution there is a brief description of digitization process with mentioned freeware and shareware applications

Designing a User-Metaverse Interface for the Industrial-Metaverse

The Industrial-Metaverse will create interactions between the physical and virtual worlds to extend operations in the physical industry. This particularity and the demand for increasing immersion in the Metaverse require using XR technologies called User-Metaverse interfaces (UMI). How such a UMI must be designed for the industrial-Metaverse is unknown. This study adopts a design science approach to design a UMI based on social cognitive theory (SCT). According to SCT, creating user-generated Metaverse content is crucial to the UMI design. It empowers users to generate content through their efforts, leading to higher self-efficacy and user engagement. We formulate two theoretically based design principles and instantiate a software artifact, which we evaluate in a laboratory experiment with 57 participants. Our study shows the importance of belief in success in the design of future UMI. Furthermore, our design principles show significant positive outcome expectations of users in their interaction with the software artifact

Enhancing BIM Methodology with VR Technology

Building information modeling (BIM) is defined as the process of generating, storing, managing, exchanging, and sharing building information. In the construction industry, the processes and technologies that support BIM are constantly evolving, making the BIM even more attractive. A current topic that requires attention is the integration of BIM with virtual reality (VR) where the user visualizes a virtual world and can interact with it. By adding VR, the BIM solution can address retrieving and presenting information and increasing efficiency on communication and problem solving in an interactive and collaborative project. The objective of this chapter is to report the improvement of BIM uses with the addition of interactive capacities allowed by VR technology. A bibliographic and software research was made to support the study

Investigation on the influence of augmented reality adoption and cybersecurity in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry

Augmented Reality (AR) applications and the digitization of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry processes, such as the online building permit process (BPP), have introduced new developments that simplifies tasks, and enhanced data accessibility for stakeholders. This created a digital landscape where sensitive information and critical processes are intertwined, making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Existing studies and frameworks on a) AR adoption doesn’t provide essential information (e.g., material availability and costs from different suppliers) and AR features to cater to the diverse needs of different stakeholders. b) threat modeling requires a domain and context specific need investigation, process exploration, critical asset mapping, and subsequent adoption. This thesis addresses these gaps to comprehensively understand the influence of a specific technology (AR applications on the home remodeling market in the current context) and investigate the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures in the context of online BPP. Adopting a multi-faceted approach, the study aims to a) conduct user market research and identify unique value propositions of AR-based applications b) assess potential threats and vulnerabilities of the online building permit process (BPP) followed by the building inspection division in the city of Jacksonville’s (COJ). To achieve these, a) questionnaire surveys were distributed to diverse stakeholders such as homeowners, contractors, realtors, and suppliers. b) focused interviews were conducted to determine the need for cybersecurity investigation and an existing threat modeling framework was applied to further analyze the online BPP process. Two of the major outcomes are a) almost all of the 15 surveyed participants raised concerns of final outcome visualization before completion and apprehension about their ability to execute the task correctly b) preliminary threat models that emphasize the who (are the potential malicious actors), why (would they intend to perform such actions), where (are the avenues of attacks), what (are the implications), and how (can these be avoided or countered) of the existing COJ’s BPP. The findings therefore directly contribute to the importance of innovative solutions that prioritize both technological advancements and data protection within the evolving AEC landscape