Florian Leutert

An Augmented Reality Supported Control System for Remote Operation and Monitoring of an Industrial Work Cell

Abstract Telematic control systems have a lot of potential applications in teleservicing of remote sites: they range from surveillance of regular operations over optimization of existing processes to remote error resolving. In this paper, we describe the general architecture of a telematic control system employed to survey an industrial work cell, and show how Augmented Reality (AR) can support an operator in grasping events and conditions at the remote site more clearly, thus getting a better situational awareness. After describing several specific examples from the AR tool-range, potential uses of the system are presented.

Spatial projection of thermal data for visual inspection

Since the advent of thermal imaging, devices with a high optical resolution that use detector arrays to capture the emitted radiance in the thermal infrared range of an entire scene simultaneously have developed as a standard in monitoring energy related aspects. They have had a huge impact on the building industry and in manufacturing, where they are commonly used to monitor proecces that require stable temperature conditions. As beneficial as contactless measurements are, the subsequent localization of points of interest in the environment is often difficult. To overcome this problem we propose a portable system that combines thermal imaging with Augmented Reality (AR). The idea of the approach is to project the gathered temperature information back into the scene to facilitate visual inspection.

Support of power plant telemaintenance with robots by Augmented Reality methods

In power plants, in many cases direct human access to crucial sites for inspection or maintenance is impossible. Here, remotely operated robots offer good potential to handle these tasks. This relates to technology challenges for remote operations. In this contribution we propose the use of an Augmented Reality interface as a means to directly and intuitively visualize complex information to overcome some of the challenges and support the teleoperator in his duties. Support functions that could be employed for several tasks in the context of inspection or maintenance are introduced.

Robotic Assistance for Senior People for Safe Mobility and Work Support

Worldwide demographic trends of aging societies raise the demand for assistive technologies for senior people, including in particular robotic aids. Here, specifically the fields of robotic assistance for support of mobility and for workers in industrial assembly tasks are emphasized. In mobility assistance a vehicle provides navigation functionalities for route planning and for safe driving. In case of the industrial workplace, a manipulator cooperates with the worker to take the major load in lifting heavy objects, while the human provides the guidance in placing the objects. Performance tests have been performed with a user group of more than 100 seniors.