Development of a Markerless Augmented Reality Application for Plumbing Tool Training

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a markerless augmented reality-based application for training using plumbing tools. Leveraging ARCore's environmental depth understanding and object tracking capabilities, the app utilizes 3D animations to walk users through practical experiences like cutting pipes with digital plumbing tools in their physical environment. The researchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the activities, which involved usability test on the application, user engagement and education effectiveness. The outcomes reveal a potential portal for tangible training with individuals who had experience using the app expressing higher levels of confidence about performing plumbing chores. Feedback on the AR experience was about an intuitive interaction and good visual guidance, with one feedback around bad frame rate (which researchers later found a couple of performance issues on lower end devices). Performance tweaks, further addition to the task library, and the most asked functionality assessments (test with guided procedures) are inputs. Taken together, this makes a strong case for AR as a transformational technology in job training and even creates the potential for new skilled trades and the careers on which are based on skills.