INSPIRER project

This combined research project aims to foster the user centered development of a demonstrator of a multi-user application with integrated mixed reality (MR) technology. This application shall encourage a wide range of population stratum to participate in democratic decision-making processes in urban planning using an immersive experience of virtual planning stages. Furthermore, through an intuitive and user-friendly user guidance and asynchronous interactions, inhibition thresholds to participate may be overcome.

The use of Augmented Reality (AR) in outside spaces and in the industry is becoming increasingly important. A precise positioning in urban environments is, however, hindered by high rise buildings causing a reduction in the precision of GPS. Indoors and at assembly lines, normally is void of any GPS signal. Using Point cloud matching algorithms, alternative positioning options (e.g. markers or image referencing) may be reduced and the precision of positioning can be improved.

At HFT Stuttgart, an architecture for an AR-client and a tracking System is conceptualized and implemented as a prototype under consideration of current soft- and hardware solutions. The focus is placed on an innovative tracking system that uses a point cloud matching method. An evaluation is done using concrete case-studies.

An XR demonstrator utilizing point cloud matching for precise localization in mobile outdoor-AR applications was developed, enhancing existing technologies like line-of-sight tracking. High-resolution point clouds, collected using Terrestrial Laser Scanning, served as reference data. The system was tested with various user groups using smartphones and XR headsets, enabling real-time streaming of tailored subsets to determine position and orientation. The project highlighted the importance of user diversity, participatory workshops, and addressing accessibility challenges, showcasing its potential for scalable urban planning applications.