Augmented Reality for Information Visualisation in Fusion plant monitoring and operations

增强现实(AR)的使用正在增长，2018年该市场估计价值178亿美元[1]。研究表明，增强现实(AR)可以在帮助用户设计、导航、操作和监控复杂建筑系统方面发挥宝贵的作用[2]。通过在现实世界环境和控制上分层信息，在AR的支持下，用户可能会更高效、安全和准确地执行任务。然而，采用AR仍然存在重大的技术和可用性障碍。对辅助增强现实的信心仍然很低，特别是在恶劣、苛刻和复杂的环境中，这些环境中的系统往往不可靠。例如，在海洋导航背景下制作AR原型时，实验突出了GPS罗盘校准误差、相机夜视挑战、性能问题和磁性干扰所导致的准确性和可用性问题，所有这些都构成了操作上的挑战。AR使用案例，特别是在核、石化、太空探索、建筑和采矿等恶劣环境中的使用案例评估较轻：该领域基于用户的研究未得到充分利用，历史上侧重于技术，而不是应用[3]。继续提高这些技术的准确性、接受度和可用性的动机来自AR在帮助手动环境中的用户时可以提供的许多机会。为了实现正式的概念证明，需要对应用于恶劣环境中的AR进行强有力的、方法合理的、基于技术和用户的评估，以实现对行业的潜在好处。这项研究的核心是通过“概念验证”原型在恶劣环境中应用和评估增强现实技术：这将使人们能够彻底了解发现阶段的关键挑战、机遇、用户需求和技术障碍。深入的基于用户的评估将产生数据，为我们提供关键研究问题的答案。

The use of Augmented Reality (AR) is growing with the market estimated to be worth $17.8bn in 2018 [1]. Studies have shown that Augmented Reality (AR) can play a valuable role in assisting users to design, navigate, operate and monitor complex building systems [2]. By layering information over real world environments and controls, with the support of AR, users can potentially perform tasks more efficiently, safely and accurately. However, there still remain significant technical and usability barriers to adoption of AR. Confidence in assistive AR remains low, particularly in hostile, demanding and complex environments, where systems are often unreliable. For example [4], when prototyping AR in a marine navigation context, experiments have highlighted accuracy and usability issues resulting from GPS compass calibration errors, camera night vision challenges, performance issues and magnetic interference all contributing to operational challenges. AR use cases, particularly in hostile environments such as nuclear, petrochemical, space exploration, construction and mining are lightly evaluated: User based studies in the field are underutilised, with a historic focus on technology, rather than application [3]. The motivation to continue improving the accuracy, acceptance and usability of these technologies arises from the many opportunities AR can offer when assisting users in manual environments. To achieve formal proof of concept, a strong, methodologically sound, technical and user based evaluation of AR applied in hostile environments in required to realise the potential benefits for industry. Central to this research is the application and evaluation of AR in hostile environments through 'proof of concept' prototype: This will allow a thorough unpacking of the challenges, opportunities, user needs and technical obstacles key to the discovery phase. An in depth user based evaluation will yield data to inform our answers to key research questions.