TechViz - Blog - AR / VR for engineering

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.

The energy sector is in the midst of a tremendous shift as it embraces the use of virtual reality software (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology on a global scale.

Using this technology has improved processes for engineers, resulting in better decisions, higher efficiency, and reduced costs. Traditionally, product designs have been rendered in 3D on a computer. After approval, a prototype is created to determine whether the physical rendering fits together well, is ergonomically sound, etc. With advances in virtual reality and augmented reality, a new product can be viewed in the early stages of the design process. Companies can focus on correcting errors at this stage before moving on to production.

Digital trust is becoming an increasingly important concept for most organizations. What does this concept cover? It is usually defined as the level of confidence in people, processes, and technology to build a secure digital world. Indeed, as companies embark on the digital transformation journey, they need to ensure that the tools being put in place are trustworthy.

Virtual reality (VR) has come a long way since it was invented by Ivan Sutherland in the late '60s. This industry, which has a market size of over $15 billion, has now expanded beyond consumer use to make waves in everything from research and education to manufacturing and even aerospace applications. In particular, it's transforming manufacturing by streamlining the industrial design process.

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.

Just one month ago, we learned that the Chinese internet giant ByteDance, owner of the popular Tik Tok app, would acquire Pico, the third-largest maker of VR headsets globally. This piece of news has created quite a buzz within the XR community as it sets the stage for head-on competition between Facebook / Oculus and ByteDance / Pico, not to mention Microsoft / HoloLens and the much-rumored future launch of an Apple headset. What is the impact for professional users of the foray of Big Tech into XR? Should they rejoice or worry? Are specialized makes doomed to disappear?

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two innovative technologies that are in high demand today. In fact, a recent report notes that the AR and VR market is poised to grow to $140.1 billion by 2026, thanks to a high CAGR of 38.4%. As various industries such as manufacturing, automotive, shipbuilding, and education continue to find ways to creatively leverage said technologies, the market for professionals who understand how to develop them will become more competitive. It is important to remember that the VR technologies and strategies used for engineering differ from the one used in gaming. In gaming, developers are more focused on providing quality entertainment in a VR world. On the other hand, VR for engineering is set on delivering 3D models and visualization techniques to enhance the design process.

Pursuing an engineering career in AR and VR can provide you with job security and a stable income. However, breaking into the industry can be difficult, especially if you’re just starting out. Here, we’ll discuss how you can launch   your engineering career in this particular field.

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.