Intuitive robot tasks with augmented reality and virtual obstacles

Today´s industrial robots require expert knowledge and are not profitable for small and medium sized enterprises with their small lot sizes. It is our strong belief that more intuitive robot programming in an augmented reality robot work cell can dramatically simplify re-programming and leverage robotics technology in short production cycles. In this paper, we present a novel augmented reality system for defining virtual obstacles, specifying tool positions, and specifying robot tasks. We evaluate the system in a user study and, more specifically, investigate the input of robot end-effector orientations in general.