Cooperative augmented assembly (CAA): augmented reality for on-site cooperative robotic fabrication

Abstract Recent years have witnessed significant advances in computational design and robotic fabrication for large-scale manufacturing. Although these advances have enhanced the speed, precision, and reproducibility of digital fabrication processes, they often lack adaptability and fail to integrate manual actions in a digital model. Addressing this challenge, the present study introduces cooperative augmented assembly (CAA), a phone-based mobile Augmented Reality (AR) application that facilitates cooperative assembly of complex timber structures between humans and robots. CAA enables augmented manual assembly, intuitive robot control and supervision, and task sharing between humans and robots, creating an adaptive digital fabrication process. To allocate tasks to manual or robotic actions, the mobile AR application allows multiple users to access a shared digital workspace. This is achieved through a flexible communication system that allows numerous users and robots to cooperate seamlessly. By harnessing a cloud-based augmented reality system in combination with an adaptive digital model, CAA aims to better incorporate human actions in robotic fabrication setups, facilitating human–machine cooperation workflows and establishing a highly intuitive, adaptable digital fabrication process within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector.