Abstract
The construction industry often falls short of other industries in terms of innovation; overall productivity within the construction industry has remained nearly flat for fifty years. As such, the industry is frequently exploring new technologies with the potential to increase its work efficiency as well as productivity. Mixed Reality (MR), which allows for the blending of real and virtual worlds, is one such technology that has a capability to improve productivity. The aim of this research study is to test MR’s potential as an onsite assembly tool in construction. The study more specifically determined if holographic BIM models, spatially anchored in 1:1 ratio over active construction sites, could provide trades’ sufficient information to assemble and install their work without using paper plans. A controlled experiment was designed to test if the electrical and plumbing components of a mock-bathroom could be installed only with MR. A total of 5 sub-groups, each consisting of two participants, took part in this experiment and the time is taken by each sub-group (i.e. the MR group) to complete the assembly was recorded. This was then compared with the time taken by a similar number of sub-groups (i.e. the Control group) to complete the same assembly using paper plans only. The analysis indicates that on average the MR group took approximately 9% less time as compared to the Control group. Qualitative analysis via a post-exercise questionnaire found several technological limitations that the MR must overcome before it sees widespread implementation as a tool for guiding construction assembly. The post-exercise questionnaire also gathered participants’ perceptions about MR potential in construction. This paper highlights the benefits and limitations of the MR technology in construction along with recommendations for improvement as well as future research.
Highlights
The Construction industry is frequently subject to claims of inefficiency
Studies focusing on construction efficiency have documented 25 to 50 percent waste in coordinating labor and in managing, moving, and installing materials [1]. This might not come as a surprise to most in the field; in 2016 the World Economic Forum claimed that overall productivity in the Engineering and Construction (E&C) sector has remained nearly flat for 50 years [2]
The results indicate that all sub-groups have more or less the same composition and possess very similar construction and/or Electrical and Plumbing (E&P) assembly experience
Summary
Studies focusing on construction efficiency have documented 25 to 50 percent waste in coordinating labor and in managing, moving, and installing materials [1] This might not come as a surprise to most in the field; in 2016 the World Economic Forum claimed that overall productivity in the Engineering and Construction (E&C) sector has remained nearly flat for 50 years [2]. Recent advancements in this field, such as the Microsoft HoloLens, have simplified MR hardware to the point where almost anyone can take advantage; no specialized knowledge is necessary to perform most tasks More so, applications such as SketchUp Viewer® and 3D Viewer® have made it exceptionally simple to transform BIM models into holograms [6]. Richardson et al [8] conducted a between-subjects experiment, comparing assembly effectiveness between traditional model-based instructions (MBI), the same MBI on a moveable tablet, and AR work instructions. The following sections highlight the experiment setup, data analysis and its interpretation, followed by conclusions and recommendations for future research
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