Improving construction safety with augmented reality
Construction Engineers can now walk through an actual site and experience a facility as it may be built in the future, or “look into” the ground and see water, sewer, and gas pipes as they exist below the surface before they even start building. Using new augmented reality technology being developed in the lab of Assoc. Professor Vineet Kamat, construction sites can be visualized before work begins, allowing for changes to the plan and accident prevention strategies without incurring any costs or safety concerns.
Kamat’s technology uses a video see-through augmented reality display, created through the use of a camera placed on the user’s hard hat. The camera relays real-world images to a computer, which combines GPS positioning and registration algorithms to overlay virtual items into the space.
ABOUT THE PROFESSOR: Vineet Kamat is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan. The research conducted in the Laboratory for Interactive Visualization in Engineering is focused on automation and robotics for construction, operation, and maintenance of civil infrastructure systems. They are also conducting research in Real-Time Visualization and its applications in construction process monitoring and control.
