Disassembly operation support system with motion monitoring of a human operator

Improving efficiency of disassembling operations is one of the key issues t o facilitate part reuse and material recycling. In this paper, we propose a n operation support system that provides information, such as disassembly s equence, necessary tools, and disassembly directions, using 3D product mode ls. To provide necessary information at the proper instant, the system has a function of monitoring operator's motion by means of 3D position sensors attached on the backs of both hands. The signals from the sensors are proce ssed to extract features of disassembly operations. Based on the recognitio n of the operations, the system provides information for the operator via a head mount display. The effectiveness of the system has been verified by a pplying a prototype system to disassembly operations of copying machines.