Using Augmented Reality to Cognitively Facilitate Product Assembly Process

Assembly task is an activity of collecting parts / components and bringing them together through assembly operations to perform one or more of several primary functions. In practice, part drawing is still performing as a main means for assembly guidance nowadays. As an emerging and powerful technology, Augmented Reality (AR) integrates images of virtual objects into a real world. Due to its self characteristic features, AR is envisaged to afford great potentials and to be an alternative of traditional means in assembly task. This chapter speculates the issues and discrepancies involved in the present practice of assembly task, recommends a novel utilization of AR animation technology in this area, and discusses the potentials of using AR animation in guiding product assembly task.