Augmented Reality for Machine Setups: Task Performance and Usability Evaluation in a Field Test

Abstract

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) for augmented reality (AR) have received much scholarly attention. Most studies on AR HMDs, however, rely on lab-based environments or simplistic tasks that do not reflect the complexity of industrial work processes. In this work, we conducted a field study in which professional machine operators performed a setup task for an injection molding machine. We assessed and compared task performance, perceived workload, and usability of an AR HMD versus a tablet computer. We find that the use of an AR HMD is perceived as positive overall and not mentally demanding. However, task completion times were not reduced, although participants felt they were.