iHRC: An AR-based interface for intuitive, interactive and coordinated task sharing between humans and robots in building construction

The research presented in this paper introduces a novel method for Augmented Reality informed human-machine collaboration in the context of timber prefabrication. The concept is based on the craftsman controlled instructive interaction between a High Level of Automation (robotic) fabrication setup and a human co-worker. It argues that by enabling the craftsmen to coordinate or take over specific process parts, a significant increase in flexibility and robustness of automated workflows becomes feasible. This is highly relevant within the project-based construction industry where efficient and flexible production of one-off components is predominant. A novel approach to integrate human and robotic co-workers in a joint fabrication setup that we call "Instructive Human Robot Collaboration" is introduced. With Vizor, a computational framework was developed for this purpose. It provides an intuitive interface between human and robotic fabrication units via a mixed reality head-mounted display (HMD). Finally, the proposed method is tested with an initial case study in which a 14-Axis fabrication setup is connected with human craft. The HMD gives a craftsman without any knowledge in robot programming direct control over the fabrication setup and extends its individual skill set. Fabrication tasks can be shared freely and between human and robotic units, enabling a dynamically adaptive workflow.