TechViz - Blog - AR / VR for engineering

For some professionals, virtual and augmented reality is the wave of the future. For others, unfortunately, it might only feel like a wave of nausea. There are several reasons why VR sickness can happen, but hardware and software specifications play an important role in order to deal with this problem. In this article, we explore what motion sickness in VR / cybersickness is.

There’s no escaping the latest buzzword: the “Metaverse”. Is it the next step for Internet? A virtual universe just like the ones we saw in science fiction? Or just a fancy new way to categorize extended reality technology (XR)? In the midst of all the new emerging technologies, metaverse, which was announced barely one year ago, has entered the Gartner Hype Cycle. In this article, we will help you understand what this term mean, and how it will impact your use of AR and VR.

Here’s the 2022 review TechViz team experts carry out every year to help you choose the best XR headsets for professional use. There are indeed many types of XR headsets around: tethered, all-in-one, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality… It can be confusing, especially when manufacturers use their own terminology.

Augmented Reality has appeared in many of our daily uses, at a personal and professional level. We’ve come a long way since phone games like Pokemon Go in 2016. AR is not a passing trend. Especially in business. Adding a layer of information to the reality we experience offers many use cases in a wide variety of sectors: automotive industry, aerospace, healthcare, education, construction…

Studies predict that professional use of Virtual Reality (VR) will increase tremendously in the next few years. Thus, the Metaverse is more and more at the heart of all discussions, as the mean that will transform the way we connect, interact and grow, through AR and VR. In order to optimize their products and lower their costs, most of the biggest industrial players have already adopted VR or AR systems to help them take more effective decisions for design and engineering. However, some companies remain reluctant to the change, and there is still a long way to go before VR becomes the norm in the industry.

Many companies have yet to rely on VR for their process: AEC companies are still using 2D plans, engineers and designers are still working with CAD software developed 20 years ago, companies are still making many physical prototypes to compromise between engineering and design… Those methods are still usable but they entail many constraints and costs.

Imagine that you are in the market for a new equipment, but instead of looking into catalogues or websites, you want to see how it fits in your workplace. Layering virtual objects and other digital mediums into our daily lives can sound like something out of a Science Fiction movie. But with smartphones and other devices becoming a huge part of our daily lives, Augmented Reality (AR) has already changed our daily lives, and our businesses.

While Industry 4.0 affects production lines and machines, it is also a challenge for operators. With the happening of modern plants, the increase in automation and robotization, their environment has become more and more complex, and they must adapt fast. To keep working efficiently, not only they need new skills and tools and so they need to be trained, but also solutions to improve their decision-making processes. With the ability of virtual technologies to provide 1:1 scale virtual machines that you can interact with, it is possible to be trained as if being in a real plant, interacting with real machines. Decision makers can visualize and analyze every step of an operation and improve them without having to go through the whole physical prototype making process. Thus virtual reality appears to be the adequate solution to improve field operators efficiency.

Designing and manufacturing aircrafts is quite a challenge. The million parts composing a plane must be as light as possible, while extremely resistant, and they must be assembled in a precise order. This has to be done in a context of fully globalized supply chains, with subassemblies prepared in different locations across the globe.

 Hence you should watch for some key issues: 

• The risk of conception errors is multiplied by the number of contractors and workers involved in the project

More and more engineers are relying on Augmented Reality (AR) and  Virtual Reality (VR) in their jobs. Yet, to do so, you need to choose a software and a deployment that fits your use of these technologies, internal skills and budget priorities.

The choice usually boils down to On-Premise versus SaaS (Software as a Service), but it covers various dimensions:

- Budget: Subscription model versus permanent license 

- Location of rendering servers: local versus Cloud

- Remote accessibility and collaboration

Let’s take a look at these different dimensions to help you determine which is best for your business.