From the planning of an interior design using Augmented Reality to intelligent training room systems and operating instructions read out by Alexa - the “DigiHand” project shows current trends brought about by the digitalization of the craft.

The Visual Computing business unit of Fraunhofer FOKUS has developed an app for “Augmented Reality” in the craft sector. Supported by a smartphone, users can now equip their homes both in terms of design and technology. The Fraunhofer research team's vision is that in the future, the interior design of buildings will no longer be done with a folding rule and spirit level and hand-drawn floor plans, but instead with a smartphone, tablet, or AR-glasses. For the “Augmented Reality” app, the scientists use their many years of experience in mixed reality. The software scans the room in real-time and recognizes surfaces such as walls, the floor or, table surfaces. The software virtually places objects such as lamps, light switches, or power cables on and into the real wall. By evaluating all sensors (real-time data fusion) of the mobile device (camera image, accelerometers, compass, etc.), the illusion is created (including calculation of lighting and shading) that the objects are actually in the room, even if one wanders and pans through the room with the smartphone or tablet.

In addition to Fraunhofer FOKUS, the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin University of Applied Sciences, and the Wuppertal Institute are also involved in the project. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funded this project.