The 2nd International Workshop on eXtended Reality for Industrial and Occupational Supports (XRIOS)

Overview

Industry 4.0 has been proposed as a new phase in the industrial revolution, integrating digital and physical worlds through technology into industrial procedures. Despite the promising benefits of using smart sensors, embedded systems, and cyber-physical systems, human operators remain an essential part of any industrial process. In this vein, solutions using eXtended Reality (XR) can be considered a key pillar of the transition to Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, by providing the users (e.g., industry employees) with timely and efficient instructional training and operation aids. XR technologies have been applied to a wide range of industries and occupational areas, such as maintenance, quality control, training, education, remote collaboration, healthcare, and transportation. For example, occupational employees can improve their work performance while reducing mental and physical workloads through effective XR systems (e.g., Metaverse and Digital Twin). In summary, XR can contribute to increasing users’ motivation, interest, and situation awareness, resulting in higher efficiency and efficacy, as well as less error rate and faster time completion. It allows inexperienced users to quickly learn how to perform new tasks, resulting in a workforce that can quickly adapt and perform more informed procedures in such scenarios. Furthermore, as XR applications supporting industrial and occupational tasks include physical movements and activities, it is necessary to perform a variety of assessments from ergonomics and physiological perspectives. However, as the workplace conditions become diverse, the XR technologies should be adaptive and innovative to meet the new industrial needs.

This workshop—eXtended Reality for Industrial and Occupational Supports (XRIOS)—aims to identify the current state of XR research and the gaps in the scope of human factors and ergonomics, mainly related to the industrial and occupational tasks, and discuss potential future research directions. The workshop will build a community that bridges XR developers, human factors, and ergonomics researchers interested in industrial and occupational applications, while providing an opportunity for academic and industry researchers to present their latest work or research in progress.

Designing Collaborative Systems for Industrial XR

Abstract:

XR technologies of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) enable the development of new types of collaborative experiences that address the needs of industry. This talk presents research directions in collaborative AR and VR and discusses their application in an industrial setting. In particular it describes the emerging field of Empathic Computing which combines AR, VR and physiological sensing to enable people to connect together in new ways. Examples will be presented from research at the Empathic Computing Laboratory, and directions for future research discussed.

Bio:

Mark Billinghurst is Director of the Empathic Computing Laboratory, and Professor at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia, and also at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. He earned a PhD in 2002 from the University of Washington and conducts research on how virtual and real worlds can be merged, publishing over 700 papers on augmented reality, virtual reality, remote collaboration, empathic computing, and related topics. In 2013 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and in 2019 was given the ISMAR Career Impact Award in recognition for lifetime contribution to AR research and commercialization. In 2022 he was inducted into the inaugural class of the IEEE VGTC VR Academy, and in 2023 elected as a Fellow of the IEEE.

How Game Engines Drive Innovation in the Immersive Space

Abstract:

XR experiences and Human Machine Interfaces are becoming key elements in design and manufacturing for various industries. Game engines are becoming an essential component in the development of the experience and interfaces. On top of that they are key in deploying those inside products, the cloud and on-site. With Unreal Engine, the quality and interactivity can be pushed to new heights. Join this session to hear more about our view on the market and the latest highlights.

Bio:

Heiko Wenczel started his career at Mercedes Benz in 2004 with a focus on planning and visualization.Targeting data models and processes, he continued working in the plant simulation space and joined a team focused on building the next-gen visualization and configuration system for Mercedes' passenger cars. Heiko joined Mackevision as president and moved to Detroit in 2008 to establish Mackevision Corporation. After that, he was involved in several creative content pipelines for major automotives globally. After the acquisition by Accenture Interactive he was focused on building similar workflows for all industry verticals. In a return to innovation and technology, Heiko joined Epic Games to drive the development of next-gen data and visualization platforms in automotive, manufacturing & HMI.

The Future of the Industry: Challenges and Prospective Solutions to Protect the Workers in Critical Situations

Abstract:

Smart sensors, embedded systems, cyber-physical systems, and artificial intelligence are promising technologies for a new industrial revolution. However, the practical introduction of those technologies will bring significant societal challenges. We can have the best technological solutions for future industrial systems, but it will not be helpful if the workers refuse to use them. Many problems can occur, mainly related to the worker's interaction with technology and the fear of losing their jobs. In this context, the human-centered design puts the workers at the center of the technological system. This presentation will show some work we have developed in the ergoUX Lab since 2008, mainly in technological-based solutions to increase behavior compliance with safety information during emergencies. We have tested various technology-based solutions that protect workers in emergencies, such as building fires. In this context, we use virtual reality to simulate dangerous situations where these new technological-based solutions are developed to protect people's lives. The results we have achieved are encouraging; in simulated situations, we verified that our technological-based solutions significantly improve the behavioral compliance of people in critical situations.

Bio:

Francisco Rebelo is an Associated Professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Lisbon, director of the ergoUX lab, and researcher at the Centre of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design and in the Interactive Technologies Institute – LARSyS. His teaching and research focus on understanding and measuring human performance and experiences resulting from the use, or anticipated use, of a product, service, or system. At the applied level, his goal is to integrate ergonomics, neuroscience, and technological tools, to design transformative human experiences that improve people's lives' performance, fun, safety, and health. Over the last 25 years, he has been involved in several projects on virtual reality, game design, usability, and user experience in consumer products, smart cities, industrial systems, and education/training. His research is founded by Portuguese and European Agencies and Companies (i.e., Thales, Embraer, Siemens, VW). His have published over 250 articles in journals and book chapters and edited 12 books.