Enhanced interactive AR bricklaying: elevating human–robot collaboration in augmented reality assisted masonry design and construction

Abstract Enhanced interactive AR bricklaying aims to combine human intelligence with robotic precision, enhancing creativity while addressing the inherent situation that the conventional robotic construction process are not well adapted to uncertainty. In conventional interactive brick-laying workflows, the design and construction phases are separate. Augmented Reality (AR) assists humans in completing parametric form designs, after which robots precisely execute the bricklaying process. However, this method demonstrates a low level of human–robot interaction, failing to fully harness the potential of AR in enhancing interactivity. This study first conducts a comparative experiment to evaluate a more interactive workflow, where design and construction phases alternate, against the conventional workflow. It examines the impact, limitations, and potential of human involvement in a linear robotic construction process. Based on this analysis, a construction case uses an AR system with a higher degree of interactivity. The system redistributes tasks between humans and robots, informed by the findings of the comparative experiment. The new workflow facilitates the construction of a brick wall, composed of large engineering bricks without mortar, measuring 7 m by 1.8 m, and featuring an inclined pattern. AR-guided interaction enables humans to guide robotic construction of a simple structure without relying on simulations or obstacle avoidance path planning. The discrepancies observed between design and final construction outcomes highlight the role of human intelligence, further validating the significance of enhanced interactive construction as a promising approach.