SimCrane 3D+: A Crane Simulator with Kinesthetic and Stereoscopic Vision
Date Issued
2011
Date
2011
Author(s)
Juang, Jhih-Ren
Abstract
Since cranes have a critical and versatile role in construction sites, it is extremely important that operators be provided with adequate training to enable them perform erections safely and efficiently. Several researchers have developed crane simulators to facilitate operator training. The use of simulators reduces the costs associated with renting actual cranes, and enables the training of operators in a range of tasks and environments, allowing the use of virtual environments to develop the operators’ skills. However, a critical drawback common to most existing simulators is the lack of perception of depth. The effectiveness of training may be reduced if the 3D perspective, obtained through human eyes and body movements is not simulated, especially for complex erection tasks, which are the main objectives of virtual trainings. Therefore, this research added two major components to the simulation system, kinesthetic vision and stereoscopic vision. To realize kinesthetic vision, we integrated Microsoft Kinect as the motion sensor. We also derived two transformation matrices: one for the dynamic eye position captured by the motion sensor and the other for compensating for distortion induced due to the inclined view angle. Stereoscopic vision was realized by integrating the NVIDIA 3D VisionTM package, which includes a 3D rendering pipeline, a pair of 3D glasses, and a 3D display. We also developed a crane simulator, called SimCrane 3D+, by integrating kinesthetic vision and stereoscopic vision into a game framework based on the Microsoft XNA toolset. We also developed a typical erection scenario in a complex simulated environment as an example. We found that SimCrane 3D+ can process continuous readings from the motion sensor and smoothly render stereoscopic views. With the addition of kinesthetic and stereoscopic vision, users now have better depth perception and excellent visibility during the operation. The research results show that the system has great potential for training operators and rehearsing critical erections.
Subjects
crane simulator
crane training
kinesthetic vision
stereoscopic vision
virtual reality
Type
thesis
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