Engineering and design are the heart and soul of manufacturing, architecture, construction and myriad other industries. They’re also among the most expensive, most labor-intensive phases of product development. Despite the technical advances of the last several decades, much of the engineering and design process still relies on testing physical models and prototypes — along with the employee hours and material costs they entail.
Today, organizations are transforming engineering and design with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology. 53% of organizations now use VR/AR technology for product engineering and virtual design,1 and the introduction of the metaverse and advanced headsets engineered specifically for enterprise use will only accelerate that trend.
In this article, we’ll explore the ways leading organizations are deploying VR technology to improve the efficiency of engineering and virtual design — and bring innovative new products to market faster.
The costs of modeling and prototyping
Consider the role physical models and prototypes play in the design of a new automobile. Once designers and engineers have expressed their vision via two-dimensional renderings and schematics, the process moves into three-dimensional models and prototypes to gain design consensus and assess factors such as aerodynamics and ergonomics.
These design consultations, wind tunnel tests and hands-on ergonomic studies add enormous time and expense to the design process — and every minor adjustment may require another full round of modeling and prototyping.
That’s why auto manufacturers such as BMW2, Ford, and Hyundai3 replace some of those three-dimensional processes with AR and VR technology.
The hard costs of modeling and prototyping — time, personnel and material — are not limited to the automotive sector, of course. Virtually any industry that manufactures physical products must at some point create three-dimensional models for evaluation. And the more complex their products, the more time and expense those prototypes demand.
The newest generation of VR technology is transforming those essential research and design processes.
From days or weeks to minutes
VR/AR technology lets designers and engineers replace many physical models and prototypes with virtual simulations. Pairing VR with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) applications, they can precisely replicate “real world” tests and evaluations in a virtual space — sometimes known as the Metaverse. There, they can easily visualize designs at scale in three dimensions and collaborate on development tasks.
Instead of taking days or weeks to implement and test new design iterations, teams can do so in minutes.
That’s one way prototyping and testing with VR technology can significantly reduce many of the hard costs associated with product engineering and virtual design. It also helps bring products to market faster, makes distant collaboration easier, reduces rework, improves quality assurance, and even reduces risk — all of which can be powerful competitive advantages.
No wonder more companies than ever in various industries are adding this technology to their design arsenals.
At Hyundai, for instance, VR lets designers test models in specific contexts that mimic real-world scenarios, which would be impossible with the clay models of the past.4
Global engineering firm Ramboll has established a Virtual Solutions Lab, in which engineers use VR for design reviews and risk assessments on large infrastructure projects such as wind turbines and foundations.5 VR gives them an immersive, full-scale, 360-degree view of their offshore models and infrastructures, which would obviously be cost-prohibitive to prototype at physical scale.
Defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has an entire VR lab that lets engineers evaluate the efficacy, cost, and risk of designs and models in a low-stakes environment.6 Using VR to help build the F-35 demonstrated that Lockheed Martin engineers could work faster, with 96 percent accuracy.
These are just a few examples of companies accelerating their innovation — while reducing hard costs, errors, and risk — with VR-enhanced design and engineering.
More comfort, more versatility, more power
Recent advances in VR technology have made adoption for engineering and design easier. These advances improve the experience of using VR devices while increasing their ability to accurately evaluate virtual models and prototypes.
The first advance is in the comfort and wearability of the VR gear. Unlike the heavy, blocky headsets of a few years ago, new generation VR headsets feel lighter and better balanced, with thinner designs thanks to new innovations in VR lenses. Hygienic materials allow for sanitization of the headset after use so it can be shared without fear of spreading any common illnesses.
Passthrough technology is another important advance. It lets users quickly change from a fully immersive virtual world to viewing their real-world workspace. It also allows AR digital overlay using the VR headset onto the real-world environment — especially helpful for construction and architecture teams, allowing them to view their models at scale, on location in three dimensions. This versatility is essential for real-time collaboration with people online and in real-world surroundings simultaneously.
Finally, because engineering and design applications require significant computing power, the ability to tether to a computer or workstation is essential, either physically or through a wireless connection.
VR/AR technologies with these capabilities will help organizations of any size transform their engineering and design processes.
VR that works for enterprise-level design: The Lenovo ThinkReality VRX
Unlike VR solutions designed for consumer or gaming applications, the Lenovo ThinkReality VRX is specifically engineered for enterprise-level design, supporting VR and MR content and cloud-based rendering for a wide range of use cases.
Performance: The Lenovo ThinkReality VRX headset offers six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) capabilities with full-color, high-resolution passthrough capabilities for immersive VR applications.
Comfort: New lens technology makes the front of the headset less bulky, while the positioning of the long-life battery opposite the lenses provides a well-balanced experience for extended VR sessions.
Power: The ThinkReality VRX tethers easily via USB-C cable or WiFi 6 wireless connections to powerful Lenovo solutions such as the ThinkPad® Z Series laptops, ThinkPad P Series mobile workstations, and ISV-certified P Series desktop workstations.
Start transforming your engineering and design with VR
VR is now an essential tool for organizations looking to make product design more efficient, more nimble, and more productive. As one of the first VR headset engineered specifically for enterprise, the Lenovo ThinkReality VRX is the technology you need.
Contact your Lenovo representative today to schedule a demo, or click here to learn more.