Abstract
Alternative reality (XR) tools are becoming more commonplace in the realm of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC); however, these digitally immersive technologies vary greatly in their degree of virtuality and individual capabilities. While many studies detail the performance of one specific XR technology for a particular use case, little work exists comparing numerous modern XR technologies in a side-by-side manner for a single use case. In this work, we construct four equal-fidelity, alternative reality environments for the application of spacecraft habitat design evaluation, starting with a baseline habitat mockup constructed in physical reality (PR). Three digital environments—augmented reality, hybrid reality (HR), and virtual reality—were modeled after the PR environment and developed in parallel. The implementation of each environment was carefully documented, along with relative strengths and weaknesses associated with both development and use. Additionally, we have developed a novel HR implementation that includes realistic and intuitive haptics, hand tracking, a fully virtual audiovisual scene, and responsive habitat elements, all wirelessly synched with a game engine and spatially synched with the PR environment. In sum, this work serves as a resource for those considering XR technologies for any variety of applications, particularly in AEC disciplines.
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(Adapted from Milgram and Kishino 1994) Four major categorizations of immersive technologies are shown on a spectrum of virtuality, as described by Milgram and Kishino (1994) and elaborated upon by Anderson et al. (2019). The entire spectrum represents what is collectively referred to as XR. Physical reality (PR) is the least virtual, followed by augmented reality (AR), hybrid reality (HR), and finally virtual reality (VR). The modalities are spaced evenly in the above diagram; however, each of the individual technologies varies by implementation, which could shift them in either direction along the spectrum
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Abhishektha Boppana of the University of Colorado Boulder (abhishektha@colorado.edu) for his contributions to the initial efforts that put this work into motion.
Funding
This work is funded by the NASA Human Research Program, grant number 80NSSC18K0198.
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Banerjee, N.T., Baughman, A.J., Lin, SY. et al. Development of alternative reality environments for spacecraft habitat design evaluation. Virtual Reality 25, 399–408 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00462-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00462-6