designers use augmented reality in helmet RUMEN to help workers’ eye strain

Augmented reality rumen

Augmented reality devices have long infiltrated the game and design industry, turning the landscape into a more interactive setting. Today, designers Hoyeon Shin, Siwook Lee, Seunghyun Hwang, and Jihyun Hong have brought augmented reality into the industrial field as they created RUMEN, an AR head-mounted display (HMD) that improves the safety of workers and the efficiency of their work through lighting and technology that reduce their eye strain. It feels as if they were in a game. By wearing the helmet, workers can increase or decrease the lighting of the space they are working in, use the camera to zoom in and out on what they are looking at, and take photos of their projects and products to upload online, thanks to the Bluetooth and WiFi technology the designers installed.

images courtesy of RUMEN team (Hoyeon Shin, Siwook Lee, Seunghyun Hwang, and Jihyun Hong)

Adjustable lighting for Augmented reality rumen

The designers installed the lights at the front, rear, and sides of the helmet and made their intensity adjustable to provide better, overall illumination. They say that since the product cannot be seen directly after mounting it, the operation must rely on touch, so they employed a rotary dial look for the AR, making it easier for the workers to switch from one setting to another. Before sketching the design, the team had researched on the common hard hat workers would usually wear and found out that the hard shell of the hats risked the workers’ safety. From here, the final sketch proceeded with a horizontal design that gave way for the rotary dials mounted on the helmet and had a cylindrical and rectangular structure.

designers use augmented reality in helmet RUMEN to help workers’ eye strain

Features of Augmented reality rumen

The designers stepped into the shoes of the workers. They did not only devise a helmet for them but conducted mockups several times to understand the actual scale of their device and if there would be any problems with its physicality. The team even tested the product themselves to get insight into how the software and operation would work and what potential problems workers could face. To make sure the workers’ heads are protected, the team used polyurethane cushion inside and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) for the exterior. At the front part, there is a display screen and two flashlights while at the rear, there is a tail light, a battery, and a charging port. The LED lights are arranged horizontally on the side part.

the back part of the helmet’s frame

The symbol of occupation and status

The controller is located on the upper left and right side of the device, and there is a charging section on the back and a dial on the right that can be adjusted to fit one’s head. And at the bottom of the device is a microphone and speaker, and the designers placed the microphones close to the worker’s mouth for ease and the speakers are located on both sides that are closest to the ears.

‘In the industrial field, the color of the helmet can represent occupation and status. Therefore, we tried to create RUMEN in various colors with the color of the helmet actually used in the industry,’ the RUMEN team says, introducing the variants including yellow, green, orange, and blue. From tasks that require high concentration to simple tasks, RUMEN can be used in a variety of ways. ‘By providing appropriate illumination for the work, eye strain can be reduced and work can be performed more safely,’ says the team.

head-protection gear