The new research project THEIAXR aims to improve human-machine interaction in mobile machinery by enhancing user technology fit and extended reality (XR) technologies and functionalities. The project’s goal is to make the invisible visible and extend the perceivable range of the human operator without impacting their performance. The three-year project is funded with a total of six million euros from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe program.
XR enhances conventional human-machine interfaces
Mobile machines, such as excavators, snow groomers, or cranes, are often large and bulky, and sometimes controlled remotely. It can be a challenge for a human operator to maintain an overview of the machine and its environment. XR technologies can expand the operator’s field of vision and improve his or her confidence in human-machine interaction. For instance, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies may be used to display machine status in the operator’s immediate field of vision. Haptic feedback could be used to send tactile signals to operators, for example via a joystick, and acoustic feedback can be used to provide warning signals to the user. Combined with external sensors, these technologies can also help detect obstacles and other factors of the environment, improving not just the safety of the operator and bystanders, but also increasing efficiency as work can be completed with more foresight.
A human-centered approach, coordinated by TTControl
Martijn Rooker, Innovation Projects & Funding Manager at project lead TTControl explains: “The XR technology used in mobile machinery must be intuitive enough to enable low-threshold operation in many different scenarios. Therefore, THEIAXR will apply a human-centered, scenario-based co-design methodology. This means that real end-users and real-life data from industrial environments will be integrated to guarantee all solutions are as intuitive and user-friendly as possible.”
THEIAXR will be validated and tested in three use cases in the off-highway domain: snow grooming, logistics, and construction. The project will be carried out by a consortium of 11 project partners from industry and academia. It is coordinated by high-tech company TTControl, a joint venture of TTTech and HYDAC International, based in Vienna and Brixen.
Christiana Seethaler, Vice President of Product Development at TTControl is very excited to coordinate this highly relevant project: “Integrating XR technologies into TTControl’s HMI products for mobile machinery is another step towards more intelligent, trustworthy off-highway operations.”
