Analyzing VR and AR I4.0 technologies for industrial applications: A comparative study and selection approach development

Abstract

In recent years, the implementation of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) applications has increased considerably. These technologies enable the connection of virtual and real environments focusing on human centered manufacturing. A challenge when implementing immersive technologies in industrial tasks is the lack of clear paths to select the most appropriate technology for specific operations, and the nonexistence of metrics to evaluate the integration performance. Nonetheless, there are trends in the literature that offer insights to conduct the decision making process for selection between immersive technologies, ensuring the suitability of the application. Based on the decision criteria identified in the literature a decision making approach is developed. This thesis also presents the development workflow of three VR/AR applications implemented in Unity Engine for Meta Quest 3 and Hololens 2. These applications are evaluated using overall performance metrics and are analyzed using the proposed approach.