Immersive Collaboration:
Virtual and Augmented Reality for onsite fabrication
Master Thesis, MAS ETH in Architecture and Digital Fabrication, 2021
Students: Evgenia Angelaki, Foteini Salveridou
Tutors: Daniela Mitterberger, Romana Rust, Lauren Vasey
Duration: 3 months
‘Immersive Collaboration’ aims to combine AR and VR systems to enable a bi-directional communication between ON-site and OFF-site fabrication and design processes
Devices:
AR : Hololens
VR: Oculus
Software:
Apps: Unity
Communication: ROS (Robot Operating System)
Artefact:
The installation at ETH Zurich, ITA building , consists of 4000 sticky notes. It was designed on the fly and fabricated using the system we created.
Info:
The core of our research is based on the development of a communication system that could support different
The stakeholders would have distinct roles, skills and knowledge and could benefit from essential XR features in order to collaborate in 2 locations.
On the AR side, there can be an architect or designer, a skilled worker, a contractor, or a client, in different phases of development.
On the VR side, one or multiple project members can broadcast and receive information on design and fabrication.
The 2 users can communicate and see each others avatar because they are localized in virtual and physical space using a QR code
In Augmented reality, and through the spatial awareness system the user can scan the physical space and take intuitive measurements, retrieving site specific data
The most common communication tool in design and architecture is sketching so one of our first features is 3d drawings and notes in physical and virtual space
The VR user has a bidirectional data exchange with the design software (Grasshopper), and through sliders, lines and attractor points and can adjust on the fly the parametric design model.
The AR user can submit the current fabrication progress through a form so that the VR user can keep track and help on the process .
