Use of mixed reality as support in production at MAN

The commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN in Steyr had already gained experience with virtual reality before the project even started: MAN uses a three-dimensional work lab called Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) to shorten development time and optimize the production process. Errors can be detected in advance. The MRBC4i project aims to expand this expertise in augmented reality and integrate it into the production process.

A virtual and optical comparison of switch symbols for assembly assistance was developed: The symbols stored in the system are displayed over the actual symbols on the switch panel. A deep learning algorithm compares the symbols recognized on the switches with the data in the system and marks those areas that are identified as "incorrectly installed." With 10 symbols, each with 25 test images, we achieved a correct classification rate of 98%. The biggest challenge so far lies in enlarging the sample and automatically generating test data.

The overall project "Mixed Reality Based Collaboration 4 Industry" was created through the collaboration of 22 companies and five scientific institutions from Lower Austria, Vienna and Upper Austria (FH St. Pölten, FH Oberösterreich Standort Steyr, FOTEC, IMC FH Krems und TU Wien).