A Study in Virtual Navigation Cues for Forklift Operators

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that can overlap virtual elements over the real world in real time. This research focuses on studying how different AR elements can help forklift operators locate pallets as quickly as possible in a warehouse environment. We have developed a simulated AR environment to test Egocentric or Exocentric virtual navigation cues. The virtual elements were displayed to the user in a HUD (head-up display) on the forklift windshield, fixed place in front of the user operator, or in a HMD (head-mounted display), where the virtual cues are attached to the head of the user. A user study found that the Egocentric AR view was preferred over the Exocentric condition and performed better while the HUD and HMD viewing methods produced no difference in performance.