A Robust Method for Resolving Incorrect Visual Occlusion in Dynamic Augmented Reality Environments of Animated Engineering Operations

本项目的目标是研究和设计一种功能强大、准确的遮挡处理方法，可以轻松地集成到任何增强现实(AR)应用程序中。AR是一种新兴的可视化技术，它将计算机生成的CAD对象形式的场景与真实环境的视图融合在一起。从AR场景的观察者的角度来看，当真实对象的部分或全部必须遮挡虚拟(即计算机辅助设计)对象的观察者S的视野时，就会发生不正确的视觉遮挡。如果不能准确地解决遮挡问题，错误的遮挡会导致不能令人信服的视觉伪影，从而降低观测者S在AR视觉模拟中的信心和可靠性，从而阻止他们和其他决策者轻松地使用模拟结果来做出关键决策。这项研究提出了一种新的几何捕获、遥感和数据通信技术的集成，以实现工程操作的AR动画的逼真、可靠和视觉上令人信服的结果。研究目标将通过开发一种自动方法来获得、记录和检索使用遥感设备的工程操作的AR动画场景中的虚拟和真实实体的深度信息，以及开发z缓冲技术来实时检测和解决任何识别的错误视觉遮挡实例。研究的成功将通过使用先进的AR可视化技术，更好地了解项目发生的工程环境，从而显著提高操作的生产率、准确性和安全性。其结果将适用于解决建筑、土木工程、制造、机械设计、医药、造船、交通等领域的广泛工程问题。解决遮挡问题也是未来AR中碰撞检测、运动抢占以及真实和虚拟物体之间的物理干扰等课题研究的必要条件，所有这些都是长期存在的问题，阻碍了动态AR在工程和科学领域的广泛应用。该项目将极大地帮助研究生和本科生的职业发展，包括积极参与研究活动并准备成为明天的工程师的女性和少数民族工程师？S。该项目将产生新的软件工具和培训材料，并将广泛分发给工程、教育、研究和专业团体，以增进对科学技术的理解。

The objective of this project is to investigate and design a functional and accurate occlusion handling method that can be easily integrated into any Augmented Reality (AR) application. AR is an emerging visualization technology which blends computer generated scenes in the form of CAD objects with the views of the real environment. From the point of view of an observer of an AR scene, incorrect visual occlusion occurs when part or whole of a real object must block the observer?s view of a virtual (i.e. CAD) object. If not resolved accurately, incorrect occlusion leads to unconvincing visual artifacts that reduce the observer?s confidence and reliability in the AR visual simulations, and consequently prevents them and other decision makers from comfortably using the simulation results for making crucial decisions. This research proposes a novel integration of geometry capture, remote sensing, and data communication technologies to enable realistic, reliable, and visually convincing results in AR animations of engineering operations. The research objective will be achieved by developing an automated method to obtain, record, and retrieve the depth information for both virtual and real entities in an AR animated scene of an engineering operation using remote sensing devices, and a z-buffering technique to detect and resolve any identified incorrect visual occlusion instances in real-time. Success in the research will lead to significant increases in productivity, accuracy, and safety in performance of operations due to better understanding of the engineering environment in which projects take place, through the use of advanced AR visualization technology. The results will be applicable to solve a wide range of engineering problems in construction, civil engineering, manufacturing, mechanical design, medicine, shipbuilding, transportation, and other domains. Solving the occlusion problem is also necessary to enable future work on subjects such as collision detection, motion preemption, and physical interference between real and virtual objects in AR, all of which have been long standing problems that prevent the widespread application of dynamic AR in several engineering and scientific domains. This project will significantly help the career development of graduate and undergraduate students, including women and minority engineers who will actively participate in the research activities and prepare to become tomorrow?s engineers. The project will lead to new software tools and training materials that will be widely distributed to the engineering, education, research, and professional communities to enhance scientific and technological understanding.