Technologies have always shaped the ways how people work and collaborate. xReality, such as Augmented and Virtual Realities (AR and VR), is one of the key technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution. It has the potential to change the industry as we know it today, making it more human-centric and sustainable.
“Despite all the predicted benefits, the adoption of xReality is not yet there. The practical knowledge on how to design and develop industrial xReality platforms is fragmented from field to field, lacking in generalizability and infrastructure to deploy a stable xReality work environment,” Alisa Burova says.
In her doctoral dissertation, she addresses this issue and investigates the opportunities, barriers, and influencing factors of xReality technology in realistic industrial settings. She reviews both Augmented reality and Virtual reality technologies, which would find their application in different contexts, from hazardous industrial locations to office environments.
In collaboration with researchers from KONE, Alisa Burova explores the application of xReality in the service-oriented processes of the company. Based on performed work and the involvement of domain experts, she proves that adopting AR and VR in Industrial Maintenance could significantly enhance operations and benefit workers.
The doctoral dissertation shows that, AR has the potential to transform in-field work and change the role of maintenance technicians, optimizing maintenance operations and making it more safe, efficient, and error-prone. VR, in turn, may highly advance industrial processes in an office environment, providing access to hazardous industrial contexts and a way to naturally interact with virtual machinery, unavailable otherwise.
“This would have a positive impact not only on the productivity of workers and the effectiveness of their collaboration but also would lead to overall process optimisation, promoting sustainability and human-centricity.”
Most importantly, the study shows the strong link between AR and VR. The findings emphasize the need for simultaneous integration of AR and VR technologies into existing digital infrastructure. Achieving goals requires adopting xReality alongside emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, IoT, 5G, cloud computing, big data, cybersecurity, wearables, and collaborative robots. This collective implementation can significantly transform the workforce and drive innovation towards realizing Industry 4.0 and 5.0 vision.
Public defence on Friday 9 February
The doctoral dissertation of MA Alisa Burova in the field of Human-Computer Interaction titled Industrial xReality (XR): Design, Application Scenarios, and Adoption Strategy in the Context of Industrial Maintenance will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University in auditorium B1096 of the Pinni B building (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere) at 12:00 on Friday 9 February 2024.
The Opponent will be Associate Professor Pradipta Biswas, Indian Institute of Science. The Custos will be Professor Markku Turunen from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University.
The doctoral dissertation is available online
The public defence can be followed via remote connection