Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey, July 3 – 6, 2012 1511 A Hydraulic Excavator Augmented Reality Simulator for Operator Training Joseph Akyeampong, Silvanus J. Udoka and Eui H. Park Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 27411 Abstract A significant evolution in the design of modern heavy mobile equipment like the hydraulic excavator due to advancements in component technologies has further entrenched the need for effective operator training in the heavy mobile equipment industry in order to ensure safe and efficient operation of equipment. Current methods for training hydraulic excavator operators have been based on on-site and offsite (classroom) training, which requires significant cost and time commitments, and virtual reality simulated training which is limited in its inability to provide a realistic real world training experience. A state of the art in training based on Augmented Reality (AR) is being explored by researchers as an effective alternative to provide training because of the technology's unique characteristics. This paper presents ongoing work on a prototype AR system for simulating hydraulic excavator operator training – the Hydraulic Excavator Augmented Reality Simulator (H.E.A.R.S). The system features the overlay of virtual objects that describe the working parts of the hydraulic excavator, inserted into the user’s view of the workspace and a simulated work environment to provide firsthand information on how each working part functions. The paper also discusses a preliminary evaluation of the prototype system to assess its effectiveness. Keywords Hydraulic excavator, augmented reality, operator training, simulator 1. Introduction Hydraulic excavators are a class of heavy mobile equipment that are familiar for performing digging and leveling operations, material handling, heavy lifting, and demolition work in industries ranging from construction and forestry to agriculture and mining (Haddock, 2007). While their basic function has not changed in decades, modern hydraulic excavators have evolved in terms of their technical design, incorporating new and improved technologies that seek to make their operation safe and efficient (Boyanovsky, 2005; Zubko, 2007; Roth, 2010). To make their operation more efficient, many of the significant changes in excavators have been in relation to the controls; old linkages have been eliminated in favor of features such as electronic controls and pilot-operated hydraulics, as well as joystick controls (Zubko, 2007). In order to take advantage of the capabilities provided by such new changes, hydraulic excavators operators must be adequately trained to develop the skills sets needed to ensure a safe, effective and efficient operation of the equipment. Heavy equipment operator training programs have historically been based an on-site and offsite instruction, and often time consuming and costly. Recent advances in software and computer processing capabilities have fostered the development of virtual reality (VR) simulators as a low cost alternative to on-site operator training. The use of virtual reality simulators have been explored as a training vehicle in a variety of research and industrial applications (Wakefield, 1996; Bernold et al., 2002; Torres et al., 2004; Fisher, 2008; Engel et al., 2009; Ni et al,. 2009; Dopico and Luaces, 2010; Caterpillar, 2011; Simlog, 2011). Assessment of VR as a training tool has shown that, although VR generates a complete virtual environment, where unlimited training scenarios could be provided, it gives a novice no opportunity to experience the real working conditions. Consequently, VR is limited by the fact that it does not provide a high degree of realism; thus even with adequate training with a virtual simulator operators are still not expected to perform with the same proficiency as they would in real world situations. To this end, a number of researchers have begun exploring augmented reality (AR) as an extension of VR for providing a high fidelity