Exploratory Study: Implementation and Applications of Extended Reality

Abstract

It is well known that the construction industry has the potential to increase its productivity. It is also well known that a solution can be to assess decisions made early in a project more thorough, as these decisions permeate the entirety of the project. By making the correct decisions early in a project, a positive effect on the project deliveries will be observed. Research has been carried out to establish how Extended Reality can bene fit the construction industry, both now and in the future. The entire project phase has been considered but the focus is on the early project phase.

The research was carried out using a literature review and several interviews with people from the construction industry. Three interview groups have participated: A construction project group from Skanska, several members of Skanskas BIM/VDC department, and two employees of the engineering consulting company Niras. Findings have been presented, discussed and qualitatively evaluated with the problem description as the premise.

Technology relevant to the thesis have been presented. Theory and principles of XR have been discussed, and the bene fits of XR over conventional means of information transfer have been established.

Current and future areas of use of XR technology has been researched. Factors believed to be critical for a successful implementation of these areas of use have been identifi ed. This work relies heavily on the comparison with other industries, but is also based on the results from interviews and literature. While this thesis proposes concrete measures believed to be critical to ensure a successful implementation, it can not be certain in its proposals. This is due to the large variation in the information provided by interview subjects and by available literature. This thesis rather touches several interesting topics that should be further researched.