XR-
SPro
Call for Papers
The XR-SPro
2024
Smart production is set to revolutionize the manufacturing industry by enabling new levels of flexibility in product design and production, integrated operations, manufacturing sustainability, and worker competence. This new production paradigm benefits from extended reality (XR) technologies in every stage of the product life cycle. XR can enable remote collaboration on product designs and workflows, as well as on-the-job training and coaching tailored to the work context and the expertise levels of individual workers. These systems can support the designs of safer factories and the optimization of production lines. And they increase workers' competence and efficiency by providing relevant information at the right time. This workshop aims to identify the current state, gaps, and future directions of XR research in the context of smart production. XR-SPro will build a community to bring together researchers and designers in XR and manufacturing from academia and industry. This year, we are particularly interested in the theme of workforce development. In recent years, manufacturing firms across the world report their #1 pain point as the challenge to find talent for production. How can XR support training and supporting a competent and diverse manufacturing workforce?
Themes and Topics of Interest
-
XR for industrial training and education
-
Game-based learning in XR
-
XR for remote assistance XR for collaborative work
-
XR for instructional aids XR for computer-assisted design (CAD)
-
User acceptance of XR for smart production
-
XR for factory layout, production planning and optimization
-
XR for human-machine interaction and collaboration
-
XR for real-time visualization of sensor and process data
-
XR and haptics to support manual manufacturing applications
-
Integration of XR hardware/software to support smart production
-
Industrial metaverse
-
XR and digital twins for manufacturing applications
Image by Freepik
Workshop
Organizers
John Liu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. John Liu is the Principal Investigator of the MIT LEAP Group, focusing on STEM education and workforce development. He is a Lecturer in MIT's Mechanical Engineering department and MITx Digital Learning Lab Scientist, leading the Manufacturing@MIT initiative. Former Director of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, Dr. Liu's work spans engineering education, mixed reality, workforce solutions, and instructional design. He earned awards from ASEE and holds degrees from Caltech and MIT, including a Ph.D. under prestigious fellowships.
Mohsen Moghaddam
Georgia Institute of Technology
Mohsen Moghaddam is the Gary C. Butler Family Associate Professor at Georgia Tech's H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and a Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Milano. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. His research on human-centered AI and spatial computing to enhance learning and adaptability in industrial settings, funded by NSF, DARPA, the U.S. Navy, and industry.
Thomas Moser
St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences
FH-Prof. Dr. Thomas Moser is the head of the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences and is involved in the “Smart Engineering” program. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. from Vienna University of Technology. Moser has authored over 80 publications and given 25+ talks at international conferences. His research focuses on digitalization, Industry 4.0, and new technologies. He organizes multiple workshop series and has served on program committees for international conferences.
Josef Wolfartsberger
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
Josef Wolfartsberger is a Professor for Smart Production at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, School of Business & Management Steyr. He completed his PhD in computer science at Vienna University of Technology in 2012. Since 2017, he has lectured on "Smart Production and Management" and "Operations Management" and was appointed Professor in 2020. He organizes the XR-SPro workshop series and heads the Smart Production Lab. His research includes mixed reality, additive manufacturing, and collaborative robots, with over 60 publications.
Peter Zink
PTC, Inc.
Peter Zink, Ph.D., directs Strategic Education Programs at PTC, a global software company. He collaborates with educational institutions worldwide to advance PTC’s product development and empower future engineers. Previously, as a mechanical engineering faculty member at Boston University, Zink designed a flexible automated manufacturing cell. This innovation provided students with hands-on experience with industrial machines and advanced manufacturing systems, preparing them for real-world challenges in engineering.
Sang Ho Yoon
Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Sang Ho Yoon, Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Culture Technology at KAIST, directs the HCI Tech Lab and is affiliated faculty in the School of Computing and Graduate School of Metaverse. With prior experience at Microsoft Applied Sciences Lab and Samsung Research, he specializes in novel sensing and haptic devices for XR. His research aims to facilitate natural user interactions, focusing on overcoming physical, mental, and social barriers in human-computer interaction, particularly in haptics and sensing techniques for XR interfaces.
Program
9:00 am
Welcome from the organizers
9:10 am
Keynote: Steve Ghee, CTO AR/VR, PTC
-
Title: Empowering the Workforce: The Human-Centric Impact of XR in Manufacturing
-
Abstract: As products become more complex and personalized, manufacturing processes and the workforce must adapt. Extended Reality (XR) technologies show promise by enabling collaboration on product engineering workflows, providing on-the-job training tailored to individual expertise levels. This presentation will explore practical examples of XR applications in design, manufacturing, and service, highlighting lessons learned and future opportunities.
9:30 am
Session 1: Paper presentations (3-5 min) + round table discussions
-
Aarsh Patel, Dishita Turakhia, Oliver Brunner, Alexander Mertens and John Liu. Benchmarking Open-endedness of VR Training Systems in Manufacturing.
-
Horst Orsolits, Sebastian Rauh and Robert Fellner. XR Integration Into Higher Education Using Digital Shadows and Digital Twins.
-
Mahsa Nasri, Mehmet Kosa, Leanne Chukoskie, Mohsen Moghaddam and Casper Harteveld. Exploring Eye Tracking to Detect Cognitive Load in Complex Virtual Reality Training.
-
Francisco Sepulveda, Yibo Fan, Christian Gabbianelli, Kachina Studer, Dishita Turakhia and John Liu. Using ACT-R Architecture in the Design of Intelligent Tutoring Systems for VR Training of Manufacturing Skills.
10:30 am
Coffee break and discussions
11:00 am
Session 2: Paper presentations (3-5 min) + round table discussions
-
Alexander Albers, Magdalena Igras-Cybulska, Slawomir Tadeja and Thomas Bohné. Assessing AR Visualizations during Non-Complex Assembly: Reporting Preliminary Results from a Crowdsourcing Rework Study.
-
Steven Yoo, Casper Harteveld, Nicholas Wilson, Kemi Jona and Mohsen Moghaddam. Exploring Dimensions of Expertise in AR-Guided Psychomotor Tasks.
-
Adam Banaszczyk, Mikołaj Łysakowski, Michał Nowicki, Piotr Skrzypczyński and Sławomir Tadeja. How Accurate is the Positioning in VR? Using Motion Capture and Robotics to Compare Positioning Capabilities of Popular VR Headsets.
-
Hyung Il Yi, Hyung Wook Yi, Dong Kyu Kwak and Sang Ho Yoon. Therm-Spatial: Controlling Spatial Perception with Thermal Feedback.
12:00 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm
Industry demo: Dan Bohus, Sr. Principal Researcher, Microsoft
-
Title: SIGMA: an Open-Source Platform for Mixed-Reality Task Assistance Research
-
Abstract: In this presentation I will introduce an open-source system called SIGMA (short for “Situated Interactive Guidance, Monitoring, and Assistance”) as a platform for conducting research on task assistive agents in mixed reality scenarios. The system leverages the sensing and rendering affordances of a head-mounted mixed reality device in conjunction with large language and vision models to guide users step by step through procedural tasks. I will discuss the system’s core capabilities, its overall design and implementation, and outline research directions enabled by the system.
Industry demo: Steve Ghee, CTO AR/VR, PTC
-
Title: Frictionless Collaborative Design
-
Abstract: I will focus on one of the more recent pieces of research work which is centered around a simple hypothesis of highly localized "trust" being extended to the folks you want to communicate with, and using this to over some some of the fundamental barriers that prevent or dissuade users from collaborating (in XR).
2:30 pm
Panel: Future of Work
-
Alexandra Medina-Borja, Program Director, NSF Human-Centered Engineered Systems
-
Ben Armstrong, Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center
-
Kemi Jona, Vice Provost of Online Education and Digital Innovation, University of Virginia
3:30 pm
Coffee break
4:00 pm
Brainstorming session: Envisioning the Future of XR in Smart Production (Miro Board)
Objectives:
-
Identify key challenges and opportunities for XR-SPro.
-
Facilitate idea exchange between academia and industry participants.
-
Foster collaboration on future research, projects, and developments.
Breakout Discussions Themes:
-
Group 1: XR for Task Guidance and Assistance. Using XR to deliver real-time, context-aware instructions and feedback during complex tasks, enhancing efficiency and reducing errors.
-
Group 2: XR for Product Design and Prototyping. Leveraging XR to visualize, test, and refine digital prototypes, streamlining collaborative product design and development.
-
Group 3: XR for Digital Twins Integration. Merging XR with digital twins to create immersive, real-time views of production, improving monitoring, control, and process optimization.
-
Group 4: XR for Human-Machine Collaboration. Enhancing communication, safety, and coordination with robots or autonomous systems through XR interfaces.
-
Group 5: Other Topics. Exploring XR applications in training, remote collaboration, data visualization, and personalized manufacturing to advance smart production.
Breakout Discussions Topics:
-
Key Challenges: What are the current limitations or difficulties in this domain?
-
Opportunities: What potentials does XR have to overcome these challenges?
-
Solutions: What emerging technologies or research directions could address these challenges?
-
Collaboration Ideas: How can academia and industry work together to move forward in this domain?
5:00 pm
Summary and next steps from the organizers
Submission
Guidelines
Contributions are planned to be included and indexed in the IEEE digital library.
-
Research Papers (6-8 pages): Novel results in the field within the above-mentioned categories related to XR development.
-
Short Papers (up to 4 pages): Preliminary results or work in progress.
-
State of the Art Reports (6-8 pages): Surveys on the main results in this field, allowing us to understand and compare achievements and approaches in tackling issues from the XR communities.
Papers must be written in English and follow the IEEE Computer Society VGTC format, described at: https://tc.computer.org/vgtc/publications/conference/.
All papers and camera-ready versions must be submitted electronically via EasyChair, the conference management tool, by clicking on the button below.
Submissions will be reviewed by at least two program committee members following a single-blind review process. Accepted papers will receive guidelines for preparing and submitting the final manuscript(s) along with the notification of acceptance.
Important Dates
All deadlines are 23:59:59 Anywhere on Earth (GMT/UTC-12:00).
-
Submission: July 26, 2024 July 19, 2024
-
Notification: August 16, 2024
-
Camera-ready deadline for inclusion in the IEEE Digital Library: August 25, 2024
Program
Committee
Kaveh Amouzgar, Uppsala University, Sweden
Christoph Anthes, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
Brian Anthony, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Mark Billinghurst, University of South Australia, Auckland
Farid Breidi, Purdue University, USA
Kapil Chalil Madathil, Clemson University, USA
Chris Dede, Harvard University, USA
Jeremiah Diephuis, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
Ismail Fidan, Tennessee Tech University, USA
Stephen Gilbert, Iowa State University, USA
John Hart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Casper Harteveld, Northeastern University, USA
Yuri Hovanski, Brigham Young University, USA
Matthias Husinsky, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Andreas Jakl, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Seokhee Jeon, Kyung Hee University, Korea
Kemi Jona, University of Virginia, USA
Matthias Klumpp, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Thomas Kurfess, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Stacy Marsella, Northeastern University, USA
Daniel Niedermayr, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
Victor Adriel de Jesus Oliveira, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Horst Orsolits, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Austria
Karthik Ramani, Purdue University, USA
Sabrina Romina Sorko, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Linda Rudolph, Technische Universität München, Germany
Hideo Saito, Keio University, Japan
Lucas Schöffer, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Shana Smith, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Gerhard Sprung, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Ana Stanescu, Graz University of Technology, Austria
Markus Tatzgern, Salzburg University of Applied Science, Austria
Dishita Turakhia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Erik Verlage, Ohio State University, USA
Nicholas Wilson, Harvard University, USA
Woontack Woo, KAIST, Korea
Shuping Xiong, KAIST, Korea
Huitaek Yun, KAIST, Korea
