Lessons Learned from Developing and Testing an Augmented Reality Application for Just-in-Time Information Delivery to Improve Construction Safety

Abstract

The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is rapidly gaining popularity among designers, owners, and construction project managers thanks to its ability to generate and communicate construction-related information. However, the use of BIM to provide job-related details to construction workers is limited so far. There is a need for tools such as augmented reality (AR) applications to enable the BIM information flow to field workers to benefit fully from it. Due to a lack of guidelines, there is a need to provide AR development resources to potential developers, such as construction professionals, construction educators, and new AR developers. This article describes the development of a marker-based AR application for handheld devices to deliver just-in-time information to construction workers. The resulting application aims to help workers to learn task-specific construction methods and safety information before and during task performance by interacting with the models of the task at hand. The authors collected the proposed AR application requirements through a literature survey. The application was developed in the Unity game engine using the Vuforia AR software development kit. Three-dimensional BIM models and simulations of building elements, such as slab-on-grade reinforcement mesh and formwork models, were developed in Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Navisworks. Models and simulations can be visualized in the marker-based AR application. The application development process and resources documented in this paper will help new developers, especially non-programmers, avoid the pitfalls that the authors experienced during the development of this application.