© Getty Images / GregorBister/iStockphoto/futurezone
Andreea Bensa-Cruz
Before the excavator driver starts working with the gripper arm, he must ensure that there are no people or objects in the danger area. However, the blind spot is very large with excavators. The construction worker behind the machine is not visible to the driver. One wrong move and the situation could end fatally.
In general, so-called “off-highway machines’ such as excavators, cranes, municipal vehicles or snow groomers that are not allowed on the roads in harsh environments. It is not always possible to recognize dangers due to the limited field of vision. The need for more security is increasing.
In the future, they could use Extended Reality (XR) – a collective term for the virtual, augmented and mixed reality – become safer, more reliable and intuitively controllable.
Virtual reality
VR is a computer-generated reality in 3D and often with sound. As a rule, content is transmitted via VR glasses
Expanded reality
In the case of extended reality – also referred to as augmented reality (AR) – visual information such as images or videos is displayed about the analogue world. This is usually done using AR glasses, but is also possible using the cell phone camera
Mixed Reality
With mixed reality (MR), virtual objects are not simply superimposed – users can also interact with them in real time. MR is the latest in immersive technology
Warning signal in case of danger
At least that is the goal EU research project THEIAXRfrom the Viennese company TTTech is coordinated. Attached to the machines sensors and cameras In a first step, they capture their exact environment and thus make the invisible visible. “We’re seeing each other now depth imaging cameras that can be used to determine how far away an object or a person is. Also GPS is interesting, you can use it to locate the vehicles on the construction site or on the runway,” says the researcher Martin Rooker, Innovation Projects & Funding Manager bei TTControl, der futurezone.
© PRINOTH
are also conceivable Radar or so-called IMUs (inertial measurement units). The latter can measure movements. In any case, which sensors will ultimately be best suited will only become clear in the course of the project. If the technical components detect danger, a warning is immediately given to the machine operator. This can be done by vibration, acoustic or visual signals.
info on the floor
According to the scientist, whether video glasses will also be used in practice depends on the area of application. It is essential that the glasses do not further restrict the field of vision. Alternatively, a display could also be used. “It is also possible to project information on the windshield or on the ground in front of the machine,” says Rooker Laser take place.
Martijn Rooker von TTControl
© TTTech
However, the research team wants to map not only what is happening on the surface, but also what may be underground. “Power cables are repeatedly destroyed during construction work,” says the expert. Together with the research partner HERE Graz one would therefore like to find a solution to display lines, cables and tubes with the help of virtual reality. This information is basically available in construction plans and can be displayed with the technology in the machine operator’s field of vision. “They then know that there is a power or telephone line at a depth of 2 meters and that they are not allowed to dig any deeper at that point,” says Rooker.
The XR system could also be used for quality control. “The operator can be shown exactly where he needs to dig without having to look for the dimensions on his plan,” adds the researcher. This increases work efficiency.
Next Generation
The aim is to integrate the technology into existing machines. With the XR system, they also want to inspire young people to work with such vehicles. “It is difficult to find new employees in this area. We want to make the work interesting for the next generation as well,” adds the expert.
The project is currently still in its infancy. It was launched in January and will run for 3 years. TTTech works with 10 project partners from research and industry 6 EU countries together. The first sensor pack to be tested will likely be available by the end of 2023. “At the end of the project, we will hopefully be able to integrate prototypes into the machines, which we will test and validate in real environments.” The applicability of the technology will be tested in 3 pilot projects. Up to product maturity it could 5 to 10 years last.
Applications of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) primarily address the sense of sight. With video glasses, a computer-simulated and actual reality can be experienced. The sense of touch is usually not taken into account in such applications.
However, since people also perceive their world through this sense, controllers are also used, especially in the computer games industry, which, for example, through vibrations haptic stimulation generate. However, this feedback is usually not really realistic.
peel off tattoo
In order to make perception of real and virtual worlds immersive in the future, researchers are currently working on an application of the Extended Reality (XR). Specifically, at the German University of Saarland developed a “tactile tattoo”.
This is a wafer-thin electronic foil that can be stuck to the skin and peeled off again. The film is so thin that users can also feel real objects through the film.
Application in the operating room
With this so-called „Tacttoo“ haptic impressions are to be generated for purely digital objects. The sense of touch is stimulated by electrical stimuli. One area of application would be surgery, among other things. Where doctors in training are already using virtual reality, for example to practice operations in advance, the tactile tattoo could also send out realistic haptic feedback. The fine motor skills of the doctors are not restricted.
In the dated European Research Council funded project “Feel XR: Feel-through Haptic Feedback for Augmented and Virtual Reality“The commercial potential of the tacttoo is now to be researched and new use cases identified in order to put the product into practice.
