A collaborative augmented reality annotation tool for the inspection of prefabricated buildings

The inspection of prefabricated buildings involves different stages and tasks such as the collection of measurements, the visual inspection of components and the written annotation of defects. Traditionally, inspectors have documented the process, the kind of defects and the proposed correction measures in paper format, hindering the collaboration with other experts (either simultaneously or asynchronously) and the collection of other types of annotations (e.g. images, 3D elements). In this paper, we present an AR tool designed to aid inspectors during this process. The tool has many benefits, as it allows simultaneously performing a collaborative inspection, taking multitype and geolocated annotations, their monitoring and edition, and performing in situ augmented visualizations. The quantitative and qualitative user evaluation carried out with our tool in a real environment (including usability and satisfaction evaluations) shows the relevance that such a technology might bring to the field and prove that our tool is usable and fulfils most of the inspectors’ expectations.