Using AR to help build a complex brick wall

  • Could you imagine how this kind of technology might change something as boring and frustrating as Ikea furniture assembly?

    Ikea tries hard to avoid using text in its instructions, because the products are sold in so many countries. So its assembly instructions tend to be very constrained 2D illustrations with simple pictograms.

    But it would be so much easier if you could just slap on some AR glasses and visualize in 3D what your next step should be!

  • A similar surprisingly novel case for AR headsets: trimmming hedges into complex shapes.

    In an AR headset the final desired design is overlayed within the hedge, and you trim the parts outside. Now try to imagine how you might accomplish something similar without an AR headset. It would be very difficult.

  • I realize this is probably being excessively pessimistic, but couldn't this end up making the work of the skilled trades as soulless and boring as routine assembly line work?

    That is to say, whenever there is a discussion of the skilled trades on Hacker News it is mentioned that they often take as much thinking and creativity as white collar jobs. It seems like this sort of technology could change that in at least some situations.

  • Very neat, but I'm not sure what human "intuition" is needed or being used when brick placements are being displayed in AR for you. Seems more like a human bricklayer is just more flexible and much less expensive than setting up a robot rig (and will be for some time).

  • Is anyone aware of quality forums/email lists/etc. for keeping up to date on AR UI/UX?

  • This is the only space I see _R taking off for a while. The cost of development is still too high for consumers (and developing for them). Using it for training and virtual modeling is where it shines...for now.

  • whats stopping them from installing a rail along X,Y,Z axis around the build area (with a robot arm), and having the robot build up the wall instead of humans?

  • Nice!