The renaissance of augmented reality in construction: history, present status and future directions

Chen, Ke; Xue, Fan

doi:10.1108/sasbe-08-2020-0124

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…The concept of "augmented reality", initially originated from "virtual reality", commonly refers to overlaying computer-generated virtual images and objects over real-world scenes to produce a mixed world reality (Jiao et al, 2013). In another definition provided by Fazel and Izadi (2018), AR has been described as a line between the real and virtual world that superimposes additional virtual information over real objects and senesces and, therefore, enhances our perception of the real world (Azuma, 2015;Chen and Xue, 2020;Fuge et al, 2012;Yang et al, 2013). According to Milgram and Kishino (1994), "continuum" can be considered as a complete range that spans from the fully real to fully virtual environments CI 22,3 and within this "continuum", AR is a part that comprises MR with augmented-virtuality (Figure 1).…”

Section: Augmented Realitytheoretical and Practical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Augmented reality in design and construction: thematic analysis and conceptual frameworks

Hajirasouli

Banihashemi

Drogemuller

et al. 2022

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Purpose This study aims to present a comprehensive review, critical analysis and implications of the augmented reality (AR) application and implementation in the construction industry arena and demonstrate the gaps along with the future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach The construction industry has been under pressure to improve its productivity, quality and sustainability. However, the conventional methods and technologies cannot respond to this industry's ever-growing demands while emerging and innovative technologies such as building information modelling, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and AR have emerged and can be used to address this gap. AR application has been acknowledged as one of the most impactful technologies in the construction digitalization process. However, a comprehensive understanding of the AR application, its areas of effectiveness and overarching implications in a construction project life cycle remain vague. Therefore, this study uses an integration of systematic literature review and thematic analysis techniques to identify the phases of a construction project life cycle in which AR is the most effective, the current issues and problems of the conventional methods, the augmented parameters, the immediate effects of using AR on each phase and, eventually, the overall influence of AR on the entire project. Nvivo qualitative data analysis software was used to code, categorize and create themes from the collected data. The result of data analysis was used to develop four principal frameworks of the AR applications – design and constructability review session; construction operation; construction assembly; and maintenance and defect inspection and management – and the gap analysis along with the future research agenda. Findings The findings of this study indicated that the application of AR can be most effective in the following four stages of a project life cycle: design and constructability review session; construction operation; construction assembly; and site management and maintenance, including site management and defect inspection. The results also showed that the application of AR technology in the construction industry can align and address building industry objectives by various elements such as: reducing project costs through the application of digital technologies, saving time, meeting deadlines and reduction in project delays through integrated, live scheduling and increased safety and quality of the construction work and workers. Research limitations/implications One of the main limitations of this study was the lack of materials and resources on the downfalls and shortcomings of using immersive technologies, AR, in the construction project life cycle. In addition, most of the reviewed papers were focused on the experiments with simulations and in the lab environment, rather than real experiments in real construction sites and projects. This may cause limitations and inaccuracy of the collected and reported data. Practical implications The results of this study indicated that the application of AR technology in construction industry can align and address building industry objectives by various elements such as: reducing project costs through the application of digital technologies; saving time; meeting deadlines and reduction in project delays through integrated, live scheduling; and increased safety and quality of the construction work and workers. Social implications Application of AR in the various stages of a project life cycle can increase the safety and quality of the construction work and workers. Originality/value The reviewed literature indicated that substantial research and studies are yet to be done, to demonstrate the full capacity and impact of these emerging technologies in the field. The collected data and literature indicate that amongst the digital technologies, AR is one of the least researched topics in the field. Therefore, this study aims to examine the application of AR in construction projects’ life cycle to identify the stages and practices of a project life cycle where AR and its capabilities can be exploited and to identify the respective problems and issues of the conventional methods and the ways in which AR can address those shortcomings. Furthermore, this study focuses on identifying the overall outcome of AR applications in a construction project in terms of cost and time efficiency, process precision and safety.

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Section: Augmented Realitytheoretical and Practical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Augmented reality in design and construction: thematic analysis and conceptual frameworks

Hajirasouli

Banihashemi

Drogemuller

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Boeing (2018) reports that the productivity of electrical wiring installation tasks has increased by 40% due to the use of AR head-mounted displays to assist construction beginners and professionals. The application was deemed effective for novice assemblers with a substantial cognitive load (Fazel and Izadi, 2018;Kwiatek et al, 2019;Chen and Xue, 2020). It provides exposure to a project before its physical existence, providing experienced and inexperienced construction practitioners with a unique learning opportunity (Kwon et al, 2014).…”

Section: Ar Applications For Productivity Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AR is beneficial for multidisciplinary engagements and suitable for information communication in construction (Wang et al, 2020). During the construction process, AR can be effectively applied to monitor progress and coordinate the activities of construction practitioners (Chen and Xue, 2020). Engineers can annotate AR visualisations of existing cables and pipes, allowing technicians to know the locations and other details before determining whether additional pipes and cables are required (Olbrich et al, 2013).…”

Section: Ar Applications For Productivity Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of augmented reality for construction productivity improvement: a systematic review

Adebowale

Agumba

2022

SASBE

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PurposeDespite the significance of the construction industry to the nation's economic growth, there is empirical evidence that the sector is lagging behind other industries in terms of productivity growth. The need for improvements inspired the industry's stakeholders to consider using emerging technologies that support the enhancement. This research aims to report augmented reality applications essential for contractors' productivity improvement.Design/methodology/approachThis study systematically reviewed academic journals. The selection of journal articles entailed searching Scopus and Web of Science databases. Relevant articles for reviews were identified and screened. Content analysis was used to classify key applications into six categories. The research results were limited to journal articles published between 2010 and 2021.FindingsAugmented reality can improve construction productivity through its applications in assembly, training and education, monitoring and controlling, interdisciplinary function, health and safety and design information.Originality/valueThe research provides a direction for contractors on key augmented reality applications they can leverage to improve their organisations' productivity.

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“…The adoption of advanced visualization technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the architecture, engineering, construction and operation industry has witnessed, over the past decades, a significant spread for various purposes (e.g. design review and communication, stakeholder’s engagement, education and training and more) and with different applications during the whole project lifecycle, from early design iterations to construction and later building’s operation (Chen and Xue, 2020; Zhang et al , 2020). In this context, the adoption of immersive VR for workforce’s health and safety (HS) training based on the simulation of construction site and activities represents one of the most interesting use case both for the academy and for the industry because of the pursued benefits in terms of safety contents’ transfer related to an enhanced workers’ involvement and of the reduction of risks and costs related to on-site training (Li et al , 2018; Sacks et al , 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A smart objects library for BIM-based construction site and emergency management to support mobile VR safety training experiences

Getuli

Capone

Bruttini

et al. 2021

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Purpose Health and safety training via immersive virtual reality (VR) in the construction sector is still limited to few early adopters despite the benefits it could provide in terms of training effectiveness. To foster its adoption, in this work, the authors address the lack of an organized asset of digital contents dedicated to the production of VR site scenarios that emerged as one of the most limiting factors for the implementation of building information modeling (BIM) and VR for construction workers’ safety training. To improve this critically time-consuming process, a dedicated site object library is proposed. Design/methodology/approach The development of the site object library for the production of BIM-based VR safety training experiences followed a four-step process: definition of the object list and categories from the analysis of heterogeneous knowledge sources – construction sectors’ regulations, case studies and site scenarios’ imagery; definition of the object requirements (e.g. information, graphics, sounds, animations and more); design of an object information sheet as a library implementation support tool; and library implementation and validation via collaborative VR sessions. Findings This work provides the definition of a structured library of construction site objects dedicated to the production of VR scenarios for safety training comprising 168 items, implemented and validated. Originality/value The research contributes to facilitate and standardize the time-consuming contents’ production and modeling process of site scenarios for VR safety training, addressing the lack of a dedicated site object library. Furthermore, the novel library framework could serve as a base for future extensions dedicated to other applications of VR site simulations (e.g. constructability analysis).

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The renaissance of augmented reality in construction: history, present status and future directions

Cited by 22 publications

References 65 publications

Augmented reality in design and construction: thematic analysis and conceptual frameworks

Augmented reality in design and construction: thematic analysis and conceptual frameworks

Applications of augmented reality for construction productivity improvement: a systematic review

A smart objects library for BIM-based construction site and emergency management to support mobile VR safety training experiences

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