Evaluation of Wearable Devices for Belt Conveyor Inspection Using Augmented Reality

Abstract

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Wearable computing are being used to enhance different production processes in various areas of industry, including mining. Inspecting belt conveyors is a task that puts the human at risk in addition to being time-consuming due to the extension of belt conveyors that reaches thousands of kilometers. The use of drones as a tele-inspection tool is already a feasible alternative. However, it requires a collaborative interface between pilot and inspector. This work evaluates two wearable interfaces of augmented reality as HCI alternatives to assist the drone pilot in the inspection. The goal is to validate the platforms for visualization of the images of the industrial environment. Thus, user studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of the use of these augmented reality interfaces in the accomplishment of the task. The results show the feasibility of these tools in external and internal environments.