UT Shield

AugRe

, Filed Under: AugRe, Nuclear, Research

Digital Twin Augmented Reality – Radiation in AR

This project extends the Alpha Radiation Survey demo by enabling 3D visualization of radiation.

Using AugRE, we represent alpha, beta, and gamma particles through dynamic particle effects. The system incorporates spatial mapping for accurate placement in the environment and mesh generation that reacts dynamically to variations in radiation intensity.

Currently, the system uses simulated data, with ongoing work to integrate real sensor readings from devices such as Compton cameras and alpha flashlight sensors, enabling accurate, real-time 3D visualization of radiation levels.


, Filed Under: AugRe, Autonomous Platforms, Defense, Nuclear, Research

AugRE

AugRE (Augmented Robot Environment) is a scalable mixed reality-based human-robot teaming system that enables users to easily command, control, and supervise large multi-agent unmanned ground and aerial vehicles. The current system enables multiple users to collaborate with up to 50 robotic agents simultaneously in unknown indoor and outdoor environments. The system features real-time localization, an efficient by directional communication layer, and spatially aligned holographic representations that enable users to easily visualize and interact with real-time robot sensor data. Check out the AugRE project page to learn more: https://utnuclearroboticspublic.github.io/Augmented-Robot-Environment/

, Filed Under: AugRe, Defense, Research

AugRe Drone Integration

This project integrates our Augmented Reality app (AugRE) with a fixed-wing drone platform controlled via QGroundControl (QGC). A dedicated onboard computer performs real-time object detection (e.g., cars from the gimbal camera) and, using depth estimation, converts detections into GPS-based markers viewable on an ATAK tablet or a Virtual SandTable.

The system also supports voice and hand gesture control, allowing users to issue commands such as takeoff, land, and orbit through intuitive interactions.

Video: AugRE: Fixed Wing Drone Visualization on 3D Map and with Real World Overlay via HoloLens 2 Headsets

, Filed Under: AugRe, Nuclear, Research

Autonomous Alpha Radiation Sensing and Reporting

To facilitate the job of a radiation cleanup crew in the event of radiation contamination, we propose the use of a Hololens2 augmented reality (AR) headset to provide improved situational awareness. This AR interface shows an operator salient information such as the pinpoint location of the contaminated material, as well as which parts of the workspace have already been surveyed and are therefore safe to traverse. Doing so not only increases worker safety, but also increases their efficiency, allowing facility operation to resume with minimal downtime.

  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HVGrSGlOro
  • Navarro, A., Van Sice, C., Montgomery, C., La Joie, K., and Pryor, M., “Autonomous Radiation Survey with Augmented Reality for Hazardous Environments,” Task and Motion Planning Workshop at the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Systems, Detroit, MI, October 2023. (link)
  • F. Regal et al., “AugRE: Augmented Robot Environment to Facilitate Human-Robot Teaming and Communication,” 2022 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), Napoli, Italy, 2022, pp. 800-805, doi: 10.1109/RO-MAN53752.2022.9900721.