How do you define processes that are hardly visible or even invisible? How are the competences of a company demonstrated, if broad areas of in-house know-how are hidden? This is an issue the Coperion group of companies has been thinking about for years. As a leading global supplier of compounding systems, bulk material machines and components for the plastics, chemicals, minerals and food industries, the company has always been on the lookout for transparent sharing options and presentation instruments. An application called Extended Paper, which was developed by the Steinbeis Research Center for Design and Systems, is now able to provide a complete interactive product catalog – a digital extension to the current Coperion solutions catalog.
The system uses “markerless” tracking to recognize products in the new solutions catalog. This happens the instant an image is held under the camera. Users can then view simulations, explode the view and call up additional information directly, interacting intuitively with the catalog and looking at items in detail. The application was unveiled at the Powtech trade show in Nuremberg in 2013.
Unlike purely virtual systems, this kind of “augmented reality” (AR) gives a virtual complement to real human perception. The technology works like the “X-ray eye” in products like AR glasses (e.g. Google Glass) and head-up display in vehicles. Alternatively, it can enhance a live camera image. Virtual and real objects relate directly to one another in 3D.
Using a mouse as an interface to interact with 3D content is a challenge for some users, who find it hard to navigate in “space.” More complex input devices optimized to match the technology – such as space navigator or 3D mice – are also difficult to relate to. Using a real book as the input medium immediately makes it easier to master even the most difficult images, without anyone having to learn a fundamentally new interaction logic. Sharing content at a trade show involves precisely the same kinds of requirements in terms of interactive product presentation. Users want to quickly gain access to content without having to come to terms with complex technology first. The Extended Paper application makes it possible for the first time for Coperion to show a variety of individual solutions clearly while circumventing huge logistical outlays caused by presenting real components. The application basically extends the possibilities of virtual simulation via the intuitive usability of printed media.
The system renders and displays fully functioning, 3D machine components completely in real time. It does this by processing existing CAD data and adding process simulations. Otherwise invisible processes or parts inside machines can be made more tangible by showing parts transparently and exploding views. Depending on how he or she holds the printed reference material in front of the camera, the user has access to different presentation modes of the 3D graphics by simply rotating or sliding the device in the right direction.
One of the biggest priorities with the system was to match how content is presented during typical meetings. To do this, the Steinbeis experts developed presentation scanners with integrated cameras. These no longer need additional input devices because of the AR interaction logic. All inputs, queries and detailed information run directly through the catalog. Even unversed users and trade show visitors found they could operate the system easily and independently. As well as using the system to view the products they are interested in, and examine them in detail, users can practically “hold” components that would otherwise weigh tons in their hands. This interactive experience is rounded off by other mixed-reality media such as light and audio material related to the product, thus intensifying the immersive perception environment as much as possible.
To program the environment for the project, the developers chose openFrameworks, a C++ framework. It was important for the programmers working on the tracking procedure at the Design and Systems Steinbeis Research Center to avoid using conventional markers and use a more complex markerless recognition protocol instead. This makes it possible to use straightforward catalog pages, without additions, rather than classic machine-readable markers. This meant that the designers of the print medium did not have to consider any special requirements. Also, digital catalog content can be added to, at will, at any time.
Aside from designing and writing the presentation software, the Wurzburg-based Steinbeis Research Center also designed and developed the entire hardware package and the presentation equipment. The research center took care of everything in-house, from initial design of the booth to individual light controls, software programming and on-site implementation. The AR scanners will now make their way to trade shows worldwide. For selling purposes, the system will be extended with a Web application so that the tool can be used online at any time.
The Steinbeis Research Center, which is headed up by Prof. Erich Schöls and Sebastian Gläser, has been working in close collaboration with the design department at the University of Wurzburg. Students and graduates at the university are involved in applied R&D in the field of digital information and communication media. They explore issues related to communication design and IT on a multidisciplinary level in order to develop precisely this kind of innovative technology. The designers are practically multimedia translators of stimuli and codes that not only make social and business interactions comprehensible, but also help optimize commercial and social projects through new knowledge-based technologies and the development of experimental concepts.