ISMAR Workshop (full day): Industrial Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality has matured from a pure research field into actual industrial applications. There are still many research questions to solve, and solutions are discussed every year at the ISMAR conference series. However, making systems really work needs usually some more effort, knowledge, and ideas than can be discussed by academia on a purely scientific conference. The goal of this workshop is to bring together all people from industry and academia who use augmented reality technologies in real industrial settings aimed at producing a commercial benefit.

The workshop is a continuation of the very successful one-day event at ISMAR'05. It is intended to provide a platform to jointly discuss the "devils in the detail" and to identify ways to make the leap from research-based demonstrators to fully integrated systems.

Organizers:

• Gudrun Klinker (TU Munich), coordinator
• Stefan Noelle (Volkswagen)
• Toshikazu Ohshima (Ritsumeikan University, formerly Canon)
• Marcus Toennis (TU Munich)

Time and venue:

• Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006, 9 am -6 pm
• tbd

Session 1: Information Presentation

• Invited Talk: To what Extent Will AR be Usable for HCI in Automotive Environments?
  Klaus-Josef Bengler (via video link from Munich) and Robert Passaro (BMW)
  Abstract: Innovative technologies like head up displays create the opportunity to provide the driver with additional information supplied by driver assistance and information systems. Besides technical questions it must not be ignored that the in-car usage leads to specific requirements that are different than other augmented reality domains and applications. Drivers must be supported and not distracted. Automotive HMI guidelines and standards have to be taken into account. This presentation will provide an overview of the requirements and constraints if augmented reality features are applied to an automotive environment.

• OSGART - A Pragmatic Approach to MR
  Julian Looser, Raphael Grasset, Hartmut Seichter and Mark Billinghurst (Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand)
  Abstract: We are presenting a software development framework called OSGART or Rapid Application Development (RAD) in the domain of Mixed Reality (MR). This toolkit is being developed as an extension to OpenSceneGraph. It implements a hierarchical, scenegraph based approach to marker based AR using the AR Toolkit. Due to its’ tight integration with OpenSceneGraph it provides a valuable test environment for bi-directional transition between immersive Virtual Environments (IVE) and Augmented Reality (AR).
  Position statement

Session 2: Interaction

What kinds of interactive concepts, tools and devices are suitable for workers using AR in industrial or leisurely settings?

• Invited Talk
  Rainer Bischoff (Kuka)
  Abstract: in preparation

• Optical Tracking of Finger Positions
  Andreas Werner (Advanced Realtime Tracking GmbH)
  Abstract: Assembly simulations and ergonomical studies are major fields for Virtual and Augmented Reality in industry. Both applicaitons require direct object manipulation as the essential interaction method. Finger tracking is a tool, which allows to recognize finger positions without disturbing gloves and cables.
  Position statement

• Interaction requirements for target/actual comparison
  Stefan Nölle and Ralph Rabätje (Volkswagen AG)
  Abstract: in preparation

1 pm - 2:30 pm: Lunch

Session 3: Applications

What simplifications to the "grand general AR solution" are key towards turning AR ideas into pragmatic solutions that could be used in real industrial settings?

• Invited Talk: Industrial Application Systems Using AR Technology
  Yuichiro Akatsuka (Olympus)
  Abstract: We introduce our activities of the development of industrial AR applications. The system for the nuclear power station, which was under the preparation process of decommission, was developed to visualize the strength of the radiation and to trace the radioactive inventory. Also the prototype of handy optical see-through viewer for information overlay will be introduced.

• I Don't Need no New Technology, I Just Want To Meet The Production Quota
  Enylton Machado Coelho and Lukas M. Marti (Bosch Research and Technology Center)
  Abstract: Maintenance has been proposed as one of the promising applications of Augmented Reality (AR). Researchers point out that the main limiting factors of using AR for maintenance are tracking, Head-Mounted Displays (HMD), and authoring tools. However, some important concerns for companies are acceptance, transition to this new technology, and robustness/fault tolerance. In order to make AR commercially acceptable, not only does the technology need to be improved, it needs to cater to the needs of the business customers. This talk is intended to start a discussion on how to bridge the gap between the expectations of the industry and what researchers identify as the main challenges.

Session 4: Tracking

• Invited Talk: Requirements for Providing Tracking Support in Air Planes
  Dominik Willers (Airbus CIMPA)
  Abstract: Mostly working inside the body of an aircraft is a complicated thing. From manufacturing to lifelong service there are difficult tasks to do in a narrow, uncomfortable environment. Thus Augmented Reality could really help to ease these challenges. But, due to several restrictions existing inside the aircraft (e.g. the metallic surroundings), current tracking technologies cannot provide satisfactory solutions in a real productive setting.

• The Need for Accuracy Statements in Industrial AR Applications
  Katharina Pentenrieder and Peter Meier (Metaio GmbH)
  Abstract: In industrial applications Augmented Reality (AR) is today an established technology for supporting industrial applications in areas like design, planning, training and maintenance. Growing importance of measurements in AR environment changes requirements for AR applications giving more importance to accuracy and stability than to mobility and real-time demands. This position statement emphasizes the need for accuracy statements in industrial AR applications and thus the necessity of hardware and software providing the required accuracy on the one hand and the ability to state this accuracy on the other hand. We present RoivisTM as an AR application which offers this functionality and discuss several applications for the tool in visualization and measuring.
  Position statement

• A Tracking by Detection Approach for Robust Markerless Tracking
  Chunrong Yuan (Fraunhofer FIT)
  Abstract: Augmented reality needs tracking technologies to render virtual objects into the field of view of the user. The success of ARToolkit demonstrates the advantages of optical tracking systems. Recently, much research has been carried out on markerless optical tracking. As an alternative to markers and due to the potential applications in industry, markerless tracking has got much attention and acceptance. In this paper we would like to survey the current state of the art of markerless tracking, analyze the challenges, present our current work, and discuss related issues.
  Position statement

• Commercialization of AR Tag: Millenium-3 Engineering
  Mark Fiala (U. Toronto)
  Abstract: ARTag is a fiduical marker system allowing robust camera positioning for AR overlays, providing reliable and lighting-immune registration of 3D graphics with a live video image with no need for additional positioning hardware. Two promising applications are soon to be offered to industry; table-top systems with hand-held systems where users "look through" tablet-PCss or PDA's, and Magic Mirror setups where many people can see augmentations on a projection screen of imagery looking back at themselfes. Both systems are being demo'd at the ISMAR '06 demo session.
  Position statement