Spatial Augmented Reality for Heavy Machinery Using Laser Projections

Thomas Kernbauer, Maximilian Tschulik, Philipp Fleck, Clemens Arth

Abstract: Operating heavy machinery is challenging and can pose safety hazards for the operator and bystanders. Although commonly used augmented reality (AR) devices, such as head-mounted or head-up displays, can provide occupational support to operators, they can also cause problems. Particularly in off-highway scenarios, i.e., when driving machines in bumpy environments, the usefulness of current AR devices and the willingness of operators to wear them are limited. Therefore, we explore how laser-projection-based AR can help the operator facilitate their tasks and enhance safety. For this, we present a compact hardware unit and introduce a flexible and declarative software system. Furthermore, we examine the calibration process to leverage a camera projector setup and outline a process for creating images suitable for display by a laser projector from a set of line segments. Finally, we showcase its ability to provide efficient instructions to operators and bystanders and propose concrete applications for our setup.