BeHere: a VR/SAR remote collaboration system based on virtual replicas sharing gesture and avatar in a procedural...

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Collaborative Systems
• Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Background:

• Remote collaboration in industry often faces challenges in task guidance and communication.
• Existing systems may lack intuitive interfaces for real-time procedural task support.
• The integration of virtual elements and real-world context is crucial for effective remote assistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel remote collaboration system (BeHere) for industrial procedural tasks.
• To investigate the impact of virtual replicas, avatars, and gestures on user performance and experience.
• To provide design implications for future VR/AR remote collaboration systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of the BeHere system, combining Virtual Reality (VR) for remote experts and Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) for local workers.
• Implementation of 3D virtual replicas, shared gestures, and 3D avatars for intuitive interaction and communication.
• Conducting a formal user study to assess performance, social presence, workload, and user preference.

Main Results:

• The BeHere system demonstrated positive effects on user experience, particularly for remote VR users.
• The combination of visual cues from gestures, avatars, and virtual replicas significantly improved collaboration.
• User study results indicated enhanced performance and social presence in the BeHere system.

Conclusions:

• The BeHere system effectively supports remote collaboration on industrial procedural tasks.
• Integrating virtual replicas, avatars, and gestures is beneficial for improving remote assistance systems.
• Findings offer valuable insights for designing advanced gesture-, gaze-, and avatar-based VR/AR collaboration tools.