Is virtual reality the future?

What is virtual reality? We have heard so much about VR and AI.  People are sitting on the fence about whether it is good or bad and how we need it, but at the same time these technologies are killing industries. The messages are so mixed, does anyone really know the answer? My feeling regarding the VR hype, is that the consensus is that it is more positive than negative.  So, is virtual reality the future?

What is virtual reality?

Virtual reality is an environment generated via a computer, a reality which brings three dimensional images to life. In a world where the younger generation predominately spends more hours than they should playing Fortnite or Call of Duty, is it surprising that the world of VR is now spilling into business? But what is it used for generally and how is it being used in the engineering world?

Virtual reality in engineering

VR in engineering can be a really helpful tool for visualisation, especially at the early design stage. Companies that work on huge, expensive projects can use virtual reality to step into a space and see objects up close and in detail, objects that it would normally not be possible to see. You can go to the top of a skyscraper to see how the design looks or visit an oil rig in the middle of an ocean to inspect how two parts work in harmony together. This is exactly why igus® created the iguverse, a virtual reality experience bringing customers into an engineering world of endless possibilities.

How is igus® using virtual reality?

The iguverse was initially created as a platform to explore new and fascinating ways to save time, money and resources in product development, optimisation and maintenance.

igus® started using it as a tool to establish the layout of our biggest international exhibition, Hannover Messe, we used the virtual reality space to build the exhibition stand before any part was built. This not only saved us time but also money by not having to do multiple costly changes once the stand had been built.

Since then, we have evolved the experience and are now using the iguverse to invite customers to join us in a variety of rooms, showcasing applications and products that, for some customers, would never be seen in real life. Applications such as our huge e-loop® on an oil rig. To fly people out to that  would be logistically difficult and expensive. By using VR, we can allow customers to experience standing on the top of an oil rig, whilst being able to see how our products are used within the application and never moving more than a few steps.

How is the igus® VR experience going to impact the future for engineers?

Virtual reality is not only going to impact on the engineers of today, but this new technology will encourage, inspire and motivate the next generation of engineers.

The younger generation are surrounded by gadgets and in all honesty, most of them are more technically minded than my generation. They have been raised with technology, they have adapted their worlds around technology, and this is not going to diminish. This is going to become more and more advanced as time goes on and VR is just the beginning.

Today, this technology can help companies save costs, time and be part of their green initiative. As previously mentioned, travel could be a thing of the past, you can transport yourself to a different country, a different world, without even leaving your office and reducing carbon footprints.

Within the iguverse, companies are buying “space” and creating their own rooms with their application in it. This is allowing them to add components, products and designs at the prototype stage, and make changes with no implications. It allows parts that would ordinarily be static or heavy, to be picked up, made bigger or smaller and looked at in depth up close. How many machines would you want to stick your head into when it’s moving to see how a part works?  With the iguverse, it allows engineers to explore the impossible and make the impossible possible.

Why not come to our VR experience, step into the iguverse with us and see if you  believe that virtual reality is the future….

Read more about Joseph Flaig from Institution of Mechanical Engineers recent iguverse experience here IMECHE and for more blogs on our innovations, you can read them here.