Augmented reality improves carpentry ease and precision

A system developed at EPFL uses augmented reality (AR) to help carpenters make extremely precise timber cuts without having to measure or mark up beams. Its hybrid approach stands to make digitally assisted technology affordable for small businesses, woodworkers and construction professionals in developing countries.

Timber is an increasingly popular construction material thanks to its low environmental impact, carbon storage capacity, potential for fast assembly and excellent insulation properties. Growing demand for timber structures, coupled with technological advancements, has led many producers to automate their processes over the past 20 years.

Today we can find sophisticated robots in their workshops—machines that are as impressive as they are expensive, equipped with articulated arms and precision cutters to carry out repetitive yet complicated tasks.

At EPFL, engineers have developed an AR-based system called Augmented Carpentry ...