ARMAR guides military mechanics to make repairs using graphics on a head mounted display.
The days when you can fix your own car may be coming to an end. New vehicles have complex onboard computerized systems densely packed under the hood. Mechanics face an ever climbing learning curve to keep up with advancing automotive technology. Luckily, developers at Columbia University’s Computer Graphics and User Interface Lab have created a system that guides you as you make repairs. ARMAR, or Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair, is a head mounted display unit that provides graphic overlays to assist you in making repairs. An Android phone provides an interface to control the graphics you view during the process. Published in IEEE, and recently tested with the United States Marine Corps on an armored turret, ARMAR can cut maintenance times in half by guiding users to the damaged area and displaying 3D animations to demonstrate the appropriate tools and techniques. If successful in military applications, ARMAR may one day make it to the civilian market and provide a means for (amateur?) mechanics to keep all kinds of vehicles running for years to come. We’ve got a demonstration video from Columbia after the break.
Augmented Reality (AR) has seen a growing number of applications in the last year. Generally we’ve seen these applications in entertainment and map enhancements. ARMAR is a somewhat rarer breed of AR, focused on a specialized functional task. Such AR guidance could be expanded into all manner of assembly, maintenance, and repair jobs for computers, robotics, or any other electro-mechanical system. Such programs are effectively teaching as well as guiding the user, so perhaps we could see such techniques change the field of education. Students could “see” the insides of an atom in chemistry class, or browse through selections of artwork while reading about folk movements in history class. ARMAR demonstrates that AR could change more than the way we find restaurants or play video games. It could be the new lens through which we view our world.
ARMAR is the project of Prof. Steven Feiner and his student Steve Henderson at Columbia University. In the Marine Corps tests, the pair of researchers used 10 cameras in the vehicle to track three IR lights on the head mounted display (HMD). This tracking allows ARMAR to lead users to the target area and demonstrate the appropriate repairs needed in the current field of vision. ARMAR improved the efficiency of repairs when compared to an untracked HMD (56% faster) and a stationary LCD screen (47% faster) which provided similar information. The ARMAR team is looking to improve future models of the device by incorporating the viewing cameras onto the HMD, allowing it to function autonomously and with less setup.
Feiner and Henderson have also experimented with rudimentary haptic feedback by using the repair environment as a platform for projecting control buttons. Termed “opportunistic controls” this system turns different surfaces (metal bumps, a rotating connector, etc) into virtual knobs and switches you can feel. Their recent paper in IEEE highlights some of the advantages of such controls including no-look adjustments, increased user certainty, and allowing adjustments while keeping hands in the workspace. The following video demonstrates opportunistic controls (you only have to watch the first minute or so to understand the concept).
In the US, a good deal of technology makes it way to civilian use after first being vetted and improved by the military. I’m not certain how long it will take for an ARMAR like system to be economically feasible in the general automotive market. Military mechanics have to repair a variety of diverse machines, and thus ARMAR provides useful assistance when an individual does not have years of expertise in a particular vehicle. Private mechanics are unlikely to face similar situations until they must work on diesel, biofuel, hybrid, and electric cars all in the same shop.
That time, of course, is approaching rapidly. As object recognition and artificial intelligence improve, programs like ARMAR could become the definitive guides to helping humans maintain their mechanical world. Who knows, we may all eventually have HMDs in our homes to help us program the DVR or fix the high speed internet modem. Each device could come with software based instructions instead of paper manuals. Augmented Reality could finally allow me to assemble that coffee table/dish-drying rack from IKEA. Tell me ARMAR, which of these is a klippan and how do I attach it to the julfrid?
[photo and video credits: Steven Feiner and Steve Henderson, Columbia University]
Tags: ARMAR, augmented reality, columbia university, maintenance, mechanics, repair, steve henderson, steven feiner, us marine corps
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[...] the original post: Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video … Posted in Diesel, Mixed | Tags: are-unlikely, armar, cameras-onto, device, Diesel, face-similar, [...]
Brilliant stuff!
Very impressive, not only will amatures be able to accomplish complex repairs, but this will be a jumping off point for the automated robitic repair shops.
Another step on the way to the automation saturation economy of the future.
This is very impressive. Currently there have been a number of examples of augmented reality being used towards b2c, but i’m interested to see more examples like this one where b2b could benefit from the technology
One of the better uses for augmented reality that I have seen. The technology and the costs behind this sort of device are not unreasonable, so something like this could actually hit the market in the next few years.
Awesome! thanks
I’d have to try it to speak for its utility in a training scenario. But, for anyone with training and a few days’ worth of experience, this this is a major impediment. A ludicrous and ridiculously expensive impediment.
But, the system appears to be fully buzzword compliant and will likely draw oodles of tax payer dollars before being abandoned like the garbage that it is.
[...] writes “ARMAR, or Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair, is a head mounted display unit that provides graphic overlays to assist you in making repairs. An [...]
[...] powered augmented reality for mechanics.. Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) | Singularity Hub BORKED __________________ MidAtlanticSRT Quote: Originally Posted by mmenser I <3 you [...]
The sounds in the lower video, I believe, are from Half-Life. Hilarious!
Seriously though – this is cool stuff. Imagine doing your own repairs on your cars.
It seems potentially annoying to me.
Source Engine (Half-life 2) GUI's and sound effects? Awesome.
[...] Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) | Singularity Hub. Share and Enjoy: [...]
[...] as a performance support tool and as a teaching aid for students learning the mechanic trade. The article at singularity states [...]
Cool, but there's also some commercially stuff already available for virtual training:
http://www.disti.com/Corporate/multimedia/video...
[...] has been developed that leverages augmented reality to help mechanics fix vehicles. From Slashdot.com – “ARMAR, or Augmented Reality for [...]
[...] Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) [...]
[...] here to view the embedded video. Link: Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) [...]
[...] Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) [...]
Imagine if they could use this for surgery.
[...] fuente Compartir Si te gustó este post, agrega tec.nologia a tu lector RSS 0 comentarios Por tecnologia tec.nologia Tags realidad aumentada, realidad virtual, reparaciones January 17th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm [...]
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[...] 3-D Internet 100 virtual tours (epredator) playing in virtual worlds (epredator) AR helping mechanics (wideawakewesley) LEGO Universe [...]
[...] Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles Video | Singularity Hub. [...]
[...] Прошло 4 года и эту систему повторили. [...]
[...] This post at Singularity Hub details an augmented reality tool developed for the Marine Corps that helps marines perform maintenance and repair an armored turret. [...]
[...] saw this mentioned first in Slashdot Technology: Augmented Reality To Help Mechanics Fix Vehicles. Augmented Reality To Help Military Mechanics Fix Vehicles (Video) article gives you more detailed information and video [...]
BMW is commercializing this as well for their mechanics…
See the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9KPJlA5yds
this would lead to the new advance implementations..like machine reapairing itself with the help of armrar..virtual things helping in reality!!!great!
[...] kan een geavanceerd systeem als dit een grote winst betekenen in efficiëntie, zoals bewezen in het ARMAR project van de University of Columbia en het US Marine [...]
[...] However, there are a few intriguing examples of what the future may hold. Professor Steven Feiner and his student, Steve Henderson, of Columbia University, have created a prototype of an AR system to help marine mechanics more quickly repair military vehicles. [...]
[...] for “discovery-based learning.” Current applications already include augmented reality in showing learners how to repair cars, interact with books and other physical objects, and working in collaborative learning [...]