Robotics and Augmented/Virtual Reality

Augmented reality and virtual reality are finding their way into manufacturing, healthcare, and military robotics applications.   Virtual Reality is being used to improve control of robots and drones by human operators in manufacturing and military cases.                                             

Augmented Reality is being used in healthcare cases to improve wayfinding for disabled persons using robotic exoskeletons. Exoskeletons are wearable devices that work in tandem with the user. They are placed on the user’s body and act as amplifiers that augment, reinforce or restore human performance.

AR, robotics, and VR can be the ‘Three Amigos.’ VR and AR can offer an immersive medium to operate robots. With the help of low-latency networks, people can utilize robots remotely using intuitive AR and VR controls. AR, robotics, and VR can be used together in various industry sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and private space research.

Robotics is all about executing the following sequence in a loop: sensing, planning, and acting. All the above steps involve the use of huge amount of data. There are a large number of modules meant for sensing purpose, some of them are sensors that measure range, position, visual, tactile sensor and other various similar modules.

While the convergence of VR, AR, and robotics takes place in manufacturing, healthcare, and defense, the potential for this to emerge in other sectors is unlimited. In fact, one idea could see future juries in criminal trials using “virtual reality robots” to visit crime scenes. This would provide more accuracy and clarity about what happened, how the environment looks and who is responsible — affecting the outcome of the trial.