Augmented Reality for Robotics + Fabrication - Loy Wei Win & Anthony Franze

Details
Speaker 1: Loy Wei Win
Title: Exploring AR-enabled human-robot collaboration for fabrication-centric design tasks
Summary:
The introduction of collaborative robotics opened up the possibility for architectural designers to design and fabricate safely in a shared environment. This could bring significant changes in Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) as it challenges the conventional linear design process adopted in many architectural design practices, empowering architectural designers to be involved in the design-fabrication process. However, these technologies often communicate through teach pendant or other complex graphical user interfaces (GUI) requiring expert domain knowledge, hampering the user experience in the realm of the physical design-fabrication process. The maturation of AR technology offers a more natural and intuitive manner of communicating with these robotic systems. This talk explores how AR could facilitate a hybrid approach, combining human and robot collaboration in fabrication. This approach embraces 'human-in-the-loop' design and fabrication workflows, seeking to utilise both human intelligence and machine capacities and incorporating participation from designers and fabricators. By integrating human skills alongside machine capabilities through AR interface, there is potential to overcome existing challenges and unlock new levels of innovation within the AEC sector.

Contact Information:
Email: loyweiwin@gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wei-win-loy-538a13b0/

Speaker 2: Anthony Franze
Title: Advancing custom fabrication with augmented reality (AR): insights from research and industry practice
Summary:
Australian custom fabrication SMEs are navigating significant socio-technical hurdles in updating their fabrication methods to produce increasingly sophisticated, high-quality products demanded by the evolving landscape of Industry 4.0 consumer markets. Anchored in a human-centred approach, my research, conducted at the nexus of academic exploration at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and practical application at the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub (ARM Hub), focuses on harnessing augmented reality (AR) to address these design and manufacturing challenges. This presentation will disclose strategies developed through my PhD research, crafted to fill critical knowledge gaps in integrating AR into SME production workflows, with a keen focus on enhancing frontline worker user experience. Moreover, I will share insights from my experiences at ARM Hub, where we have applied AR solutions to tangible design and fabrication challenges. This synthesis of scholarly research and industry practice not only highlights AR's transformative potential but also reaffirms the critical importance of a human-centred design philosophy in addressing the multifaceted challenges of Industry 4.0.

Contact Information:
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/anthony-franze
Website: anthonyfranze.com/
Email: enquiries@anthonyfranze.com