Augmented reality technology selection based on integrated QFD-AHP model

In the last decade, Augmented Reality has become increasingly popular. As improved performances are gathered in terms of mature hardware and software tools, we are observing the stemming of a huge number of applications of this technology both in the entertainment and in the industrial domains. On the one hand, such applications are usually claimed to bring benefits in terms of productivity or enhancement of the human\u2019s capability to perform tasks. On the other hand, researchers and developers seem not to adequately consider the different meanings that AR assumes when implemented through visualization devices that can differ significantly in nature and in their capability to provide a mixed real-virtual scenario. In this paper, we describe a user-centred method based on an integrated QFD-AHP approach to select the best visualization display technology with regard to a specific application context. The aim is to establish a repeatable and documented process for the identification of the technology that best suits and mitigates the acceptability risks of the transition from a legacy working environment to an AR based operational environment. The method has been developed in the framework of the RETINA (Resilient Synthetic Vision for Advanced Control Tower Air Navigation Service Provision) project involving the end users, in this case, air traffic controllers. Nevertheless, it can be generalised and applied to other contexts of use. Furthermore, in order to be resilient to the fast, technological development in AR, it can be used to update the results as improvements arise in the performance level of the display devices in a specific technology

Generative design of 3D printed hands-free door handles for reduction of contagion risk in public buildings

During the emergency caused by COVID 19 evidence has been provided about the risk of easily getting the virus by touching contaminated surfaces and then by touching eyes, mouth, or nose with infected hands. In view of the restarting of daily activities in presence, it is paramount to put in place any strategy that, in addition to social distancing, is capable to positively impact on the safety levels in public buildings by reducing such risk. The main aim of this paper is to conceive a design methodology, based on a digital, flawless, and sustainable procedure, for producing human-building interfacing solutions that allow anybody to interact in a safer and more comfortable way. Such solutions are focused on the adaptation of existing buildings features and are thought to be an alternative to sensor based touchless technology when this is not applicable due to economic or time constraints. The process is based on the integration of digital technologies such as 3D Scanning, Generative Design and Additive Manufacturing and is optimised to be intuitive and to be adaptive, hence, to be replicable on different kinds of surfaces. The design concept is finalised to generate automatically different products that meet geometry fitting requirements and therefore adapt to the specific geometries of existing handles. A specific case on Hands Free Door Handles is presented and the results of manufacturing and preliminary validation process are provided and discussed

Human centred design and evaluation of cabin interiors for business jet aircraft in virtual reality

In the recent past a growing attention to the passenger is emerging overall in the transport domain. Hence, maximising the quality of travelling from the human\u2019s point of view is a new challenge especially in those fields, such as aeronautics, in which technical efficiency, capacity and sustainability have traditionally driven the design process of systems and subsystems. In this context it is crucial to implement an efficient human centred design process in order to foresee the capability of a specific cabin interiors design of meeting the user\u2019s expectations, including the needs related to comfort and well being. By using virtual reality technologies as a vehicle/platform, it allows the users/passengers to experience the interior environment of the cabin long before the actual development and manufacturing of the full size demonstrator. Due to the complex nature of aerospace programmes, typically taking \u2018many\u2019 years to develop and productionise, technologies which help reduce programme risk and potential delays are hugely beneficial to all partners involved. In this paper we present the results of a virtual reality based evaluation campaign specifically conceived for the collection of potential users\u2019 feedback in the design of innovative and breakthrough solutions for the business jet industry. The main issues have regarded the identification of the expectation for such an elitist population and the creation of a Virtual Environment to explore the entire cabin as a holistic approach and innovative passenger experience. The work has been performed in the framework the Horizon 2020 project CASTLE (Cabin Systems Design Toward Passenger Well-being)

Monitoring of the conservation state of the internal wall surfaces of Room with Golden Vault in the Domus Aurea

This project describes the monitoring campaign, performed in situ with the collaboration of Konica Minolta Sensing Europe, in order to verify the actual conservation state of the internal wall surfaces of the Room with Golden Vault in the Domus Aurea in Rome. Particularly, the main aim of this work was to evaluate the problems caused by aggressive environmental conditions (combination of low air temperature and high relative humidity). During this survey, characterized by the integrated use of two and three-dimensional techniques, the environmental conditions were carefully monitored. Reference sample regions of the vault were acquired by means of the 3D laser scanner Konica Minolta Vivid 9i (optical triangulation-based) that allows capturing morphological details of the stucco decorations with a good resolution. Moreover, each detailed scan was supplied with related high resolution images taken by a digital reflex camera Olympus E-510 rigidly connected to the scanner. In Cultural Heritage monitoring applications it is important to integrate the data acquired with different instruments and techniques. Therefore, by this methodological approach, it has been possible to integrate both two and three dimensional data by the projection of the acquired images on the corresponding digital model. In order to complete the cognitive framework of the vault, systematic measures of spectrophotometry by means of the portable spectrophotometer Minolta 2600d were also carried out. The digital data, collected and elaborated by this monitoring campaign, allowed to create a database of morphological information, high resolution digital images, colorimetric values and reflectance curves that may be used in the future as reference data to periodically monitor the conservation state of the surfaces

Design and implementation of eye tracking application for generation of augmented reality content on spatial see through display of remote and virtual control tower (RVT)

Airports are a fundamental node in the aviation system. The growth of this sector undergoes the evolution of the airports procedures and infrastructures. Air traffic control is considered to be one of the most important activity performed in an airport. This often involves numerous personnel, construction and maintenance costs etc. With the ongoing digitalisation process in various fields, the concept of remote and virtual control towers (RVT) has emerged owing to the innovation in this field. Technologies such as augmented reality (AR) have successfully paved their smooth way to bring in improvements to an RVT. The current work aims to enhance and improve the controller work in an RVT exploiting the adaption of virtual reality and AR systems. In particular, this concept is under investigation within the EU funded SESAR project: RETINA (Resilient Synthetic Vision for Advanced Control Tower Air Navigation Service Provision) and DTT (Digital Technologies for Tower). AR content generation by virtue of various display technologies are studied and, Optical Spatial See-through displays (O SSTDs) have been considered for its own advantages in developing this application. One of the necessary requirements of AR in this configuration is identified as the tracking of the operator’s point of view (eye-tracking), to provide virtual content consistent with its real position. Thus, this paper elaborates the design of specific eye-tracking system using Microsoft Kinect V2 for the virtual control tower application. The need to have binocular vision to use AR content is assessed and the interface has been tested with few subjects to evaluate the precision of the measurements detected through the proposed solution

Design for Additive Manufacturing of a non-assembly robotic mechanism

The growing potential of additive manufacturing technologies is currently being boosted by their introduction in directly manufacturing of ready-to-use products or components, regardless of their shape complexity. Taking advantage from this capability, a full set of new solutions to be explored is related to the possibility to directly manufacture joints or mechanisms as a unibody structure. In this paper, the preliminary design of a robotic mechanism is presented. The component is designed in order to be manufactured as a unibody structure by means of an Additive Manufacturing technology. Fused Deposition Modelling technique is used to print the mechanic arm as a single component, composed by different functional parts already assembled in the CAD model. Soluble support material is commonly used to support undercuts: in this case it is also deposited in the space between two adjacent parts of the same component, in order to allow the relative motion and the kinematic connection between them. The design process considers component optimization in relation to both the specific manufacturing technique and both the interaction between the different parts of the same component, in order to guarantee the proper relative motions. The conceived mechanism consists in a robotic structure in which the mechanical arm is bounded to a base and connected to a plier on the opposite side. The effect of clearance between all the kinematic parts is evaluated in order to assess mechanism degree of mobility in relation to the manufacturing process and components tolerances and geometry

A Mixed Reality Application for Collaborative and Interactive Design Review and Usability Studies

In recent days product design and review cycles are considerably held to many constraints and requirements. One of the main requirements re gards the usability of solutions and the impact that design choices have on final users. Therefore, it is becoming crucial to anticipate human factors concerns in the preliminary phases of product development process. Also, since human fac tors affect the users subconsciously and influence the decision making in a sig nificant way, they need to be enabled to observe the users while interacting with the product in real-time. In this framework, the platform that the human factors expert and the users use plays a vital role in influencing the human factor as sessments and evaluations. Latest developments in Extended Reality opened the way toward the possibility to conceive new simulation platforms that allow ex perts to deeply explore the products in real-time through collaborative and in teractive environments before the physical mockup of the product. The purpose of this paper is to outline a Mixed Reality (MR) tool in the field of aircraft inte rior design to demonstrate it as a potential co-creative platform for involving human factor experts in the loop while the task is ongoing. An MR multi-user, co-located, collaborative and interactive environment of an aircraft galley is de veloped where the HF specialist and flight crew member can co-exist to visual ize the real scale model of the galley and perform an operational task. Such co creative tool is foreseen to execute usability tests during design review phase and reduce time, costs of product development cycle while meeting the user re quirements