{"id":10294,"date":"2016-07-01T18:54:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T18:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/?post_type=articles&p=10294"},"modified":"2017-04-03T18:40:07","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T18:40:07","slug":"whats-holding-back-augmented-reality-in-construction","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/whats-holding-back-augmented-reality-in-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Holding Back Augmented Reality in Construction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic\u2014and there is a good reason for that. The technology has the potential to revolutionize all kinds of fields, from employee training to machine maintenance and even the way we build our cities. Yet despite all the neat headsets being released to the market, AR is not a perfect technology. There are still many things that need improvement. We sat down with St\u00e9phane C\u00f4t\u00e9, research director at building information modeling (BIM) software developer Bentley Systems\u2019 Applied Research group, to talk about some of these issues keeping AR out of our construction sites.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bentley and Augmented Reality<\/h2>\n

The research group at Bentley has been working on AR for quite some time\u20149 years, to be precise\u2014and it certainly has a unique way of going about it. There was not much available in terms of AR headsets at that time, so the team used 2 webcams, an orientation sensor, a pair of goggles, and some duct tape to create its own AR system.<\/p>\n

This MacGyvered system enabled the team to understand the advantages of AR in construction as well as some of the problems with it. With so many affordable headsets reaching the market nowadays, it is important to look at AR and consider what it can and cannot do for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC).<\/p>\n

Creating Reliable Information<\/h2>\n

AR has oodles of potential uses in the AEC industry. It can be used to demonstrate potential design options in the context of the real world or to supplant the need for construction workers to measure every little detail prior to installation. These \u201cmagic glasses,\u201d as C\u00f4t\u00e9 called them, could be serious time-savers.<\/p>\n

However, making mistakes in construction can be devastatingly expensive and if your information is not flawlessly accurate, you could be signing yourself up for a lot of trouble.<\/p>\n

Why is that?<\/p>\n

\"IO160603_01\"<\/p>\n

C\u00f4t\u00e9 used the example of a system that lets the user \u201csee\u201d through surfaces to locate infrastructure features like underground pipes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s say the [AR] system displays the location of a pipe and the builders rely on that,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 hypothesized. \u201cThey start digging, they hit the pipe, and they have to evacuate the entire area. That is extremely expensive and they were misled because of the AR system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extremely important that the user of this [AR] system can rely on what he\u2019s seeing,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 continued. \u201cIf it\u2019s just a cool tool that displays something floating in the air but the user can\u2019t rely on it for his work, he will just stop using it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what is the solution?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to [somehow] find a way to display the information to the user in such a way that he knows what he can rely on,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 explained. \u201cFor instance, it could be a color code. If the pipe is green, it could mean \u2018Yes, that\u2019s fine, you can rely on that. We surveyed that pipe last year, it is exactly at that location.\u2019 If the pipe is red, it could mean \u2018Okay, that pipe is that street, that\u2019s all we know. It could be anywhere.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Until a solution is found, inaccurate information will certainly play a role in preventing mass adoption of AR on construction sites\u2014and that brings up another issue.<\/p>\n

Just Don\u2019t Move<\/h2>\n

Once we get information accuracy up to snuff, there is something else we will need to consider: dynamic work environments.<\/p>\n

No active construction site sits inert. They are places of constant movement, with workers buzzing around like bees trying to get the job finished as efficiently as possible. AR technology at this point is unfortunately best suited to static environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time, augmented reality relies on the fact that the augmentation that you\u2019re doing is on a static environment,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 explained. \u201cFor instance, say you have an office and you augment the office with a new wall or window. Of course it works well because the cameras that are installed on the headset will capture the scene and that scene doesn\u2019t move\u2014so the features that these cameras will detect are fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the room is changing, [for example] on a construction site and you don\u2019t only have new walls being added but people carrying equipment and material, then the scene changes and the system has to rely on something that keeps changing,\u201d said C\u00f4t\u00e9. \u201cI know researchers are working on that problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

There has been some progress on this front, especially in the context of testing AR in gaming environments, but it has not yet reached a level of reliability for high-stakes construction sites.<\/p>\n

Check Your Blind Spots<\/h2>\n

Another aspect of AR systems that still requires more research is headset design. If you look at the HoloLens, for example, you see a large set of goggles that obscure part of your face and peripheral vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put a lot of importance on those nice headsets that enable you to view the world augmented, but as soon as you put something on your head, you block the view a little,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 explained. \u201cAs soon as you displace something in front of you, you don\u2019t see what\u2019s behind that augmentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things that you\u2019re masking either on the side or behind the augmentation can be a safety issue,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 continued. \u201cThere may be a vehicle coming toward you or someone could be about to hit you with a piece of material.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like AR to improve safety on building sites and not decrease it, so somehow these augmentations will have to integrate well with the type of work being done and the type of equipment and type of clothes being worn so that it\u2019s useful and not a threat,\u201d said C\u00f4t\u00e9.<\/p>\n

There has been some work in this direction, including designs like AR contact lenses for bionic vision, but these designs will need to become fully realized before augmented reality is accepted on job sites. For more information about Bentley Systems\u2019 efforts to bring augmented reality to AEC, check out C\u00f4t\u00e9\u2019s blog at http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/hbzqget<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Copyright Statement<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was published in the July 2016 issue of Insulation Outlook magazine. Copyright\u00a0\u00a9 2016 National Insulation Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this website and Insulation Outlook magazine may not be reproduced in any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher and NIA. Any unauthorized\u00a0duplication is strictly prohibited and would violate NIA\u2019s copyright and may violate other copyright agreements that NIA has with authors and partners. Contact publisher@insulation.org<\/a> to reprint or reproduce this content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic\u2014and there is a good reason for that. The technology has the potential to revolutionize all kinds of fields, from employee training to machine maintenance and even the way we build our cities. Yet despite all the neat headsets being released to the market, AR is not a perfect technology. There are still many things that need improvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[311],"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[43],"class_list":["post-10294","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-technology","author-erin-green"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s Holding Back Augmented Reality in Construction - Insulation Outlook Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/whats-holding-back-augmented-reality-in-construction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s Holding Back Augmented Reality in Construction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic\u2014and there is a good reason for that. 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