An international team involving Graz University of Technology in Austria has investigated how heavy machinery can be operated more safely using extended reality applications. In the process, a repurposed disco laser outdid VR headsets in tests.
An international research team, including the Institute of Visual Computing at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), has explored how the operation of excavators or crane vehicles can be optimised even in difficult conditions and made safer for people in and around the vehicle as part of the THEIA-XR project.
The researchers aimed to improve human-machine interaction through the use of extended reality technologies. The focus was on the operator, whose field of perception was to be expanded without negatively affecting control performance. When working with snow groomers, for example, the team from TU Graz found that data or VR headsets tend to be counterproductive, while information projected via a repurposed disco laser proved to be a great help.
Wearing a VR headset for long periods was too strenuous for the neck muscles; moreover, due to the constant jolting movements on rough terrain, they quickly caused nausea in many people. Laser projection onto the terrain in front of the vehicle, on the other hand, proved to be a viable solution. This allows not only speed information but also tracks and orientation aids to be projected onto the snow, enabling a snow groomer to be steered more efficiently and safely.
Virtual barriers and warning indicators for people in the vicinity of the vehicle further enhance safety. And in poor visibility, due to fog or snowfall, the laser beams become visible in the aerosols in the air, allowing structures to be visualised that lie beyond the available line of sight.
All images: IVC - TU Graz