XR Forest Lab TUD

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The biggest challenge in digital forestry operations is the transfer of complex data and simulations to the scene of the action: directly into the forest.

The XR Forest Lab TUD of the DigiFor Chair is our central infrastructure and interface for translating digital twins and AI results into application-ready solutions. XR (Extended Reality) is the umbrella term for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) and enables us to merge physical reality with the digital world.

From bits to trees: application of XR in forestry

In the XR Forest Lab, we develop and test innovative applications that revolutionize the three core areas of modern forestry:

1. education and training (virtual reality)

Forestry activities are complex and often associated with high safety risks. VR technology enables dangerous situations to be practiced safely and training content to be conveyed in a highly immersive way:

• Safety training: in VR, students or employees can practice safety-relevant aspects of tree felling, securing terrain or even requesting a rescue helicopter after a work accident in a realistic environment.

• Machine guidance: The simulation of complex processes in timber harvesting or logistics promotes learning success and increases work safety before physical machines are used.

2. operational decision support (augmented reality)

Augmented reality (AR) is the key tool for making the high-precision data from the digital twin usable directly on site in the forest. AR glasses superimpose digital information on the user's field of vision in real time - a clear advantage over maps or tablets that tie up hands:

• Stand planning: district managers can virtually see the boundary lines of skid trails or planned timber poles during marking without having to make time-consuming markings.

• Hazard visualization: Forest managers receive real-time information about identified hazard trees, windthrow zones or the position of hidden infrastructure (e.g. power lines).

• Inventory: The measurement of lying trunks or the recording of stand parameters is simplified and accelerated by overlaying measurement data in the real environment.

3. research and prototyping

The lab serves as a development platform to optimize the interface between man and machine in the forest. Among other things:

• User acceptance studies are carried out to ensure the acceptance and user-friendliness of new AR systems.

• Prototypes for specific applications (e.g. for the ForestAR project) are developed and tested under real conditions to determine their potential for increasing efficiency and sustainability.

By closely integrating the XR Forest Lab with research at the Tharandt Forest Digital Twin, we ensure that our developments are practical, efficient and directly tailored to the requirements of climate-resilient forestry.