A Comparison of Augmented and Virtual Reality Features in Industrial Trainings

Daling, Lea M.; Abdelrazeq, Anas; Isenhardt, Ingrid

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49698-2_4

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This allows the VR sandbox to adapt and replicate a variety of workplace setups involving shared tasks with industrial robots within an authentic and safe environment for HRC research. The usage of simulated industrial environments through augmented and virtual reality is established itself throughout various fields of research ( Daling et al, 2020 ; Dyck et al, 2020 ; Shahid et al, 2020 ). However, compared to our VR sandbox, these applications for simulating industrial settings are designed with one specific use case in mind, precluding the usage for an iterative and flexible experimental process ( Shu et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Virtual Sandbox Approach to Studying the Effect of Augmented Communication on Human-Robot Collaboration

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) has the potential for a paradigm shift in industrial production by complementing the strengths of industrial robots with human staff. However, exploring these scenarios in physical experimental settings is costly and difficult, e.g., due to safety considerations. We present a virtual reality application that allows the exploration of HRC work arrangements with autonomous robots and their effect on human behavior. Prior experimental studies conducted using this application demonstrated the benefits of augmenting an autonomous robot arm with communication channels on subjective aspects such as perceived stress. Motivated by current safety regulations that hinder HRC to expand its full potential, we explored the effects of the augmented communication on objective measures (collision rate and produced goods) within a virtual sandbox application. Explored through a safe and replicable setup, the goal was to determine whether communication channels that provide guidance and explanation on the robot can help mitigate safety hazards without interfering with the production effectiveness of both parties. This is based on the theoretical foundation that communication channels enable the robot to explain its action, helps the human collaboration partner to comprehend the current state of the shared task better, and react accordingly. Focused on the optimization of production output, reduced collision rate, and increased perception of safety, a between-subjects experimental study with two conditions (augmented communication vs non-augmented) was conducted. The results revealed a statistically significant difference in terms of production quantity output and collisions with the robot, favoring the augmented conditions. Additional statistically significant differences regarding self-reported perceived safety were found. The results of this study provide an entry point for future research regarding the augmentation of industrial robots with communication channels for safety purposes.

show abstract