AR Civil Engineering to Support Construction Equipment Operators: Boosting Efficiency and Safety in Heavy Equipment Operations

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• Challenges faced by construction equipment operators on-site

• Enhancing efficiency of heavy equipment operations with AR technology

• Improving safety of heavy equipment operations with AR technology

• Use cases of AR in civil engineering

• Recommendation for simple surveying using LRTK

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Introduction

Recently, the use of AR (augmented reality) technology in the construction and civil engineering sectors has been attracting attention. By simply holding up a smartphone or tablet, 3D design data and construction information can increasingly be overlaid onto the site view, bringing a new transformation to work that previously relied on drawings and experience. In particular, efforts to incorporate AR into work support for heavy equipment (construction machinery) operators are progressing, and this technology, also called "AR civil engineering", is expected to have a significant impact on both improving efficiency and enhancing safety in heavy equipment operations.

In the construction industry, while the aging of skilled operators and labor shortages are becoming more serious, demands for more advanced construction methods and higher safety standards are also increasing. As one approach to on-site digital transformation (DX), augmented reality (AR) technology, which overlays digital information onto the worksite, is attracting attention. This article focuses on supporting heavy equipment operators and explains in detail the benefits AR technology brings to the field in terms of improved efficiency and enhanced safety.

Challenges Faced by Construction Equipment Operators on Site

First, let's organize the challenges surrounding heavy equipment operators on site. Traditionally, in earthwork operations the layout was performed by surveyors and field workers based on drawings, requiring a process of marking the ground (marking) or driving wooden stakes as reference points. Operators rely on those reference points to carry out excavation and embankment, but this method tends to require manpower and time, and communication mishaps or misalignment of markers often lead to variations in construction accuracy. In locations where it is physically difficult to set markers, such as slopes and water edges, the layout itself is difficult, and work inevitably had to rely on the judgment of experienced personnel.

Also, from the operator's cab there are many blind spots, so operators must pay attention to spotters' signals and to monitoring the surroundings, and safety risks are always present. Experienced operators can work efficiently through years of experience, but less experienced personnel find it difficult to operate in the same way, which can result in longer work times and mistakes. In recent years, on large-scale sites, machine guidance and machine control (ICT construction machinery) equipped with GNSS have begun to be introduced, but the dedicated equipment is expensive and has not been adopted at small- and medium-sized sites. Against this backdrop, there has been demand for support measures that enable anyone to perform high-accuracy work while balancing productivity and safety.

Efficiency Improvements in Heavy Equipment Operations with AR Technology

AR brings innovation to heavy equipment operators' work processes and contributes to efficiency gains across various areas. By directly overlaying digital design data onto the on-site view, operators can always intuitively grasp "what to do and to what extent." Here we introduce the main efficiency points that can be expected from leveraging AR.

• Reduced labor and faster surveying and positioning work: To accurately match construction locations and elevations with heavy machinery, stakeout by survey personnel was traditionally required, but with AR guidance the operator can guide the machine to the prescribed position themselves. For example, for pile positioning layout, the operator only needs to move the machine toward the target marker displayed on the smartphone screen, allowing the intermediate layout marking work to be omitted. In one experiment, stakeout of pile positions using the latest GNSS and AR reportedly reduced the work time to about 1/6, compared with conventional optical surveying methods, indicating substantial efficiency gains.

• Reducing waiting time with remote assistance: By leveraging AR, it becomes easy to connect the field with the office or remote technicians in real time and to support heavy-equipment operation from a distance. For example, using a system that shares the video the operator is seeing and allows an experienced remote technician to annotate or write instructions and advice on that video lets you receive precise guidance instantly without the expert traveling to the site. This can reduce travel and waiting time and speed up decision-making during operations.

• Reducing waste by "visualizing" setup: By displaying construction procedures and the finished image in AR, the entire work team, including operators, can approach tasks with a shared understanding. Because "what to do next" is visible at a glance, setup mistakes are reduced and wasted time from heavy equipment idling or rework can be cut. Intuitive information sharing via AR helps tasks proceed efficiently even with fewer personnel.

In this way, AR technology eliminates various inefficiencies in heavy equipment operations and creates an environment where high productivity can be achieved even with limited personnel. In particular, tasks that used to rely on veteran intuition can be carried out with high reproducibility thanks to digital guides, enabling even less-experienced operators to perform high-quality work in a short time. As a result, stable productivity can be maintained even at sites facing labor shortages.

Improving the Safety of Heavy Equipment Operations with AR Technology

AR contributes significantly not only to efficiency but also to enhancing safety. AR’s unique visualization technologies help detect potential hazards on-site in advance and reduce oversights. For heavy equipment operators, AR makes it easier to grasp surrounding conditions, reducing near-misses caused by "didn't notice". The following summarizes key points for leveraging AR to improve safety.

• Danger area visualization: Using AR, no-entry zones and the swing radius of heavy machinery can be displayed as colored areas over on-site footage. By showing alerts directly in the operator’s field of view, both the operator and those nearby can clearly recognize danger zones, helping to prevent contact and caught-in accidents.

• Blind-spot coverage for heavy equipment: Heavy equipment has blind spots to the front, rear, left and right, but if an AR system integrates vehicle-mounted cameras and surrounding sensor information and highlights workers or obstacles that have entered the blind spots, the operator can perceive even invisible dangers. This can reduce collisions caused by insufficient rearward checks.

• Reducing human error: AR-based guidance also helps reduce mistakes in work procedures and misunderstandings. For example, if AR displays the appropriate ranges for excavation depth or slope angle, operators can work without relying on guesswork. Early detection and correction of mistakes becomes possible on-site, preventing safety risks due to rework (for example, accidents caused by collapse or over-excavation).

• Use in safety education: AR is also useful for on-site education and training. By virtually experiencing risk scenarios for working at heights and heavy machinery operation with AR, hazard prediction training (KYT) can be conducted in a more practical manner. Reproducing actual accident cases in AR and learning key points to watch for through simulated experience can be expected to improve safety awareness and reduce accidents.

In this way, the introduction of AR enables the visualization of "invisible hazards" in heavy-equipment operations and contributes to strengthening safety measures. Because operators always have the latest warning information in their field of view, they can more easily grasp the surrounding situation, and as a result the overall safety of the site is improved.

Use Cases of AR in Civil Engineering

From here, we will introduce several examples of how AR technology is actually being used to support heavy equipment operators. Various initiatives have already begun at major companies and construction sites, and their results have been reported.

• Share skilled expertise on-site through remote assistance: Major manufacturers offer AR remote work support services that allow on-site workers to share their field of view with remote assistants while receiving instructions. Through cameras or smartphones worn by workers, distant skilled technicians can annotate the footage and provide real-time voice guidance, enabling accurate support without experts traveling to the site. This not only reduces travel costs but also helps prevent variability in work quality.

• Support heavy equipment operation with AR: Construction equipment manufacturers are introducing AR systems into the operator cabins of construction machinery to assist operators. By overlaying the stereo camera footage mounted on the vehicle with the planned completed model on the design drawings and current position information in real time, operators can intuitively confirm while operating whether "excavation and embankment are being carried out according to the design." Even inexperienced operators can perform accurate earthwork without relying on intuition, contributing to reduced waste and stabilized quality. In addition, because the position and orientation of the heavy equipment are displayed on the HUD (head-up display), checking spacing between machines and managing movement paths on large sites are also being streamlined.

In addition to these examples, initiatives are underway to use AR to visualize the locations of underground buried utilities (pipes and cables) to avoid accidental damage, and to overlay 3D design data on the finished terrain in slope construction to check the as-built conditions. The use of AR in civil engineering is expanding across various situations, including heavy equipment operations, and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in both efficiency and safety.

Promoting Simple Surveying with LRTK

As described above, AR technology greatly contributes to improving productivity and ensuring safety in heavy equipment operations. However, actually using AR on-site raises challenges such as "how to accurately align digital information with the worksite" and "whether advanced specialized equipment is required." The solution attracting attention is our company's solution "LRTK".

LRTK (El-āru-tī-kē) is a cloud service that allows easy AR surveying and overlaying of design models simply by attaching a small high-precision GNSS receiver to a smartphone or tablet. With conventional AR systems, it was necessary to install markers at each site and perform initial calibration for coordinate alignment, but with LRTK, thanks to satellite positioning (RTK-GNSS), positions can always be determined with cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy), eliminating cumbersome alignment work. For example, if you upload design drawings or BIM/CIM 3D models to the cloud in advance, simply pointing a smartphone at the site will display the model in AR at full scale and in the correct position. Even without specialized surveying skills, anyone with one smartphone per person can handle everything from simple surveying to AR-based as-built verification. This ease is appreciated on job sites.

LRTK has already begun to be used at many civil engineering and construction sites, and has received high praise such as “the time required for surveying was dramatically reduced” and “data sharing between the site and the office became easier.” It is the latest AR-enabled positioning tool that also supports i-Construction (construction DX) promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and will be a powerful ally to realize accurate and efficient construction even with a small crew. If you are interested in simple surveying with AR or the digitalization of construction management, please take a look at LRTK’s detailed information and consider bringing a new “visualization” experience to your site.

Summary

The introduction of AR technology to support heavy equipment operators is accelerating digital transformation (DX) at construction sites and is set to dramatically change work practices that have until now relied on human intuition and experience. By merging on-site conditions with digital design information in real time, efficient progress management and mistake-free, high-precision construction have become possible. As the cases presented show, many sites have already reported concrete benefits such as remote assistance, heavy equipment operation support, and labor savings in surveying operations.

On the other hand, using new technology effectively on site requires preparations such as organizing data and becoming proficient in operations, but in recent years easy AR solutions that combine smartphones or tablets with the cloud have appeared, steadily lowering the barriers to adoption. By introducing AR to your company's construction sites, there is ample potential to help supplement labor shortages, improve work efficiency, and ensure quality.

First, using the content and case studies in this article as a reference, consider “which tasks at your site would benefit from using AR?” Even starting to use AR through small-scale initiatives can become the catalyst to further improve on-site productivity and safety. In the article we also introduced our simple surveying solution using LRTK, and by adopting appropriate tools like this you can maximize the benefits of AR and drive innovation at your site. Please actively leverage the power of the latest technologies and help pioneer the future of heavy equipment operations.

FAQ

Q: What equipment and preparations are required for heavy equipment operators to use AR on-site? Are special modifications to the equipment necessary? A: Basically, you can get started with an AR-capable device such as a smartphone or tablet and a dedicated AR app. Prepare construction drawings and 3D model data in the app so that when the device is held up on-site, the data is displayed in AR. If you need higher accuracy, using a high-precision GNSS receiver (GPS) that can be mounted on a tablet or AR glasses will make positioning smoother, but you can first try with a standard mobile device alone. Also, there is no need to modify the existing heavy equipment itself; it can be introduced by installing a tablet in the vehicle or having workers carry it for verification.

Q: Does implementing AR incur costs? Is it cost-effective? A: Implementation costs are case by case, but in recent years the emergence of smartphone apps and cloud services has made it possible to get started at a relatively low cost. Even when procuring dedicated equipment, the barrier to entry is lower compared with traditional large surveying instruments and expensive machine guidance systems. Above all, effects such as "the time required for positioning tasks has been reduced to a fraction of the previous time" and "rework has decreased, shortening construction schedules" have been reported in many places, and the cost benefits from reduced labor and fewer mistakes are very large. Because it tends to be effective even on small-scale sites, overall the cost-effectiveness can be said to be sufficiently high.

Q: Does the use of AR help improve on-site safety? A: Yes, AR is also effective for safety management. For example, virtually displaying hazardous zones or no-entry areas with AR to alert workers, or using sensors to detect people or obstacles entering the blind spots of heavy equipment and highlighting them in AR can help with accident prevention. In addition, guiding work procedures with AR can be expected to reduce human error and mistakes caused by assumptions. Furthermore, in safety training, using AR simulations to provide a simulated experience of hazards during work at height or heavy equipment operation enables more practical hazard prediction training (KYT). In this way, introducing AR contributes greatly not only to efficiency and quality but also to improvement in safety.

Q: What is the difference between VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality)? Which is more suitable for assisting heavy equipment operations? A: VR is a technology in which you wear headset-style equipment to immerse yourself in a computer-generated virtual space, whereas AR is a technology that overlays digital information onto real-world scenes. From the perspective of supporting heavy equipment operators, AR is often better suited. With AR, operators can refer to design information while observing the actual site in front of them, directly aiding progress management and error checking. VR is mainly used for simulated experiences of completed designs and simulation training for construction procedures, and is not suitable for real-time on-site assistance. They should be used according to purpose, but at least in terms of supporting field work, AR takes the lead.