Educating Manufacturing Operators by Extending Reality with AI

Abstract

Emerging user interface technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), falling under the umbrella term Extended Reality (XR), may leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to allow the creation of virtual learning spaces, enabling unique pedagogical tools and educational experiences. In this Chapter, we present three approaches utilising AR and VR environments to illustrate the potential of integrating these emerging technologies with AI for manufacturing education. We first demonstrate how an AR interface facilitated with a see-through head-mounted display enhanced with computer vision capabilities enables assisted contextual learning using in-situ guidance by projecting immediate support for novice operators performing common maintenance and repair tasks on 3D printers. We then demonstrate how VR and Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality (HMDVR)—with different levels of immersion—enable ex-situ learning spaces to enable remote learning of assembly tasks. Together, the AR, Desktop-based Virtual Reality (DVR), and HMDVR examples demonstrate the potential of rethinking the design of pedagogic learning spaces using XR technology. We complement our results with a discussion on the future trajectory of AI-based education.

BibTeX

				
					@Inbook{Zuercher2024,
author={Zuercher, Paul-David and Schimpf, Michel and Tadeja, Slawomir and Bohn{\'e}, Thomas},
editor={Ilic, Peter and Casebourne, Imogen and Wegerif, Rupert},
title={Educating Manufacturing Operators by Extending Reality with AI},
booktitle={Artificial Intelligence in Education: The Intersection of Technology and Pedagogy},
year={2024},
publisher={Springer Nature Switzerland},
address={Cham},
pages={223--246},
isbn={978-3-031-71232-6",
doi={10.1007/978-3-031-71232-6_11},
url={https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71232-6_11},
}
				
			
APA Reference

Zuercher, PD., Schimpf, M., Tadeja, S., Bohné, T. (2024). Educating Manufacturing Operators by Extending Reality with AI. In: Ilic, P., Casebourne, I., Wegerif, R. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Education: The Intersection of Technology and Pedagogy. Intelligent Systems Reference Library, vol 261. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71232-6_11

Cyber-human Lab Contributors

Paul-David Zürcher

Paul-David Zuercher is a postgraduate researcher at the Cyber-Human lab at the Universiy of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. His research is focusing on optimisation...

Dr Sławomir Tadeja

Dr Slawomir K. Tadeja is a Postdoctoral Associate with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Here, he works...

Michel Schimpf

Michel is a Doctoral Researcher under the supervision of Dr Thomas Bohné. As part of the Cyber-Human Lab, his research focuses on applying Large...

Dr Thomas Bohné

Thomas Bohné is the founder and head of the Cyber-Human Lab at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. He is also leading research...