AI-Powered Immersive Assistance for Interactive Task Execution in Industrial Environments

TL;DR

This paper presents an AI-powered immersive assistance system using VR and multimodal AI models to guide users through complex industrial tasks, aiming to improve safety and efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel VR-based digital twin with integrated AI assistance leveraging large language and speech-to-text models for industrial task support.

Findings

Demonstrated effective step-by-step guidance in a simulated industrial environment

Reduced cognitive load for users performing complex tasks

Potential to enhance safety and productivity in industrial settings

Abstract

Many industrial sectors rely on well-trained employees that are able to operate complex machinery. In this work, we demonstrate an AI-powered immersive assistance system that supports users in performing complex tasks in industrial environments. Specifically, our system leverages a VR environment that resembles a juice mixer setup. This digital twin of a physical setup simulates complex industrial machinery used to mix preparations or liquids (e.g., similar to the pharmaceutical industry) and includes various containers, sensors, pumps, and flow controllers. This setup demonstrates our system's capabilities in a controlled environment while acting as a proof-of-concept for broader industrial applications. The core components of our multimodal AI assistant are a large language model and a speech-to-text model that process a video and audio recording of an expert performing the task in a VR environment. The video and speech input extracted from the expert's video enables it to provide step-by-step guidance to support users in executing complex tasks. This demonstration showcases the potential of our AI-powered assistant to reduce cognitive load, increase productivity, and enhance safety in industrial environments.