Technology-Related Challenges in Implementing Mixed Reality (MR) Technology in Precast Concrete Production

Abstract

Mixed Reality (MR) technology, combining digital information with the real world to provide a better display of information, is gaining a growing interest in the construction industry. Regardless of the benefits of MR systems in construction, the proper implementation of them in each phase of a construction project requires thorough investigation and experimentation. In prefabricated construction the construction phase is divided into two phases: prefabrication off-site and assembly on-site. The workflow of implementing an MR system in off-site manufacturing is quite different. This paper aims to identify some challenges in implementing MR technology in the prefabrication phase by considering precast concrete production as a case study. The paper primarily focuses on MR implementation during the quality control (QC) inspection tasks, as these tasks are concerned with proper visualization and interpretation of the design information. A solid slab production process is first chosen for process analysis, and the main steps from the design to the shipping of a cast unit are described. Then, a brief overview of the MR system is presented, and more specifically, the features of the Trimble Connect application on Microsoft HoloLens 2 are introduced. Accordingly, some of the opportunities for improvement are identified and explained. The identified improvements will help industry practitioners, specifically in precast concrete production, to gain better insight into how and to what extent they can leverage these technologies.