Collaborative Virtual Environments for Ergonomics: Embedding the Design Engineer Role in the Loop

International audienceThe aim of this paper is to define the role and duties of a design engineer involved in a collaborative ergonomic design session supported by a 3D collaborative virtual environment. For example, such a session can be used to adapt the manual task an operator must achieve in the context of an industrial assembly line. We first present the interest of such collaborative sessions. Then we present a related work explaining the need of proper 3DCVE and metaphors to obtain efficient collaborative ergonomic design sessions. Then, after a short definition of the role of the engineer in such sessions, we propose a use case highlighting the type of metaphor such engineers need to have to be efficient in such a framework. Discussion and future works ends the paper

Digital factory – virtual reality environments for industrial training and maintenance

This study evaluates the use of virtual reality (VR) platforms, which is an integrated part of the digital factory for an industrial training and maintenance system. The digital factory-based VR platform provides an intuitive and immersive human–computer interface, which can be an efficient tool for industrial training and maintenance services. The outcomes from this study suggested that use of the VR platform for training and maintenance of complex industrial tasks should be encouraged and use of the VR platform for that purpose should be further evaluated. This paper highlighted the generic concept of the application of virtual reality technique within the digital factory to industrial maintenance and to build a low-cost VR application for a training and maintenance system. An application case on virtual reality technique in a power plant operations and maintenance is demonstrated within the scope of this research. Overall research implications on virtual reality concept in industrial applications are concluded with future research directions.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Problem-Solving by Immersive Virtual Reality: Towards a More Efficient Product Emergence Process in Automotive

The Automotive Industry has been actively investigating how Virtual Reality (VR) hardware and software platforms could provide new enhanced design tools since the end of the nineties, when DaimslerChrysler AG produced DBView, one the first software platforms for immersive visualisation and manufacturing simulations used in Automotive, featuring higher interaction with virtual objects through physics simulation. Since then, VR technologies have evolved further. Today interactive 3D immersive environments can be used to provide more efficient ways to solve problems and improve design choices at very early stages of new product developments. This paper analyses how Automotive (and Manufacturing in general) can benefit from the adoption of VR tools when they are examined from a problem-solving perspective in the context of the Product Emergence Process (PEP). Two areas of product development have been considered for this purpose: Quality Assessment and Process Planning. Related demonstration scenarios have been developed at the Virtual Engineering Centre of the University of Liverpool with the purpose of carrying out an exhaustive evaluation of benefits gained by the adoption of VR technologies in new product development

Problem-Solving by Immersive Virtual Reality: Towards a More Efficient Product Emergence Process in Automotive

The Automotive Industry has been actively investigating how Virtual Reality (VR) hardware and software platforms could provide new enhanced design tools since the end of the nineties, when DaimslerChrysler AG produced DBView, one the first software platforms for immersive visualisation and manufacturing simulations used in Automotive, featuring higher interaction with virtual objects through physics simulation. Since then, VR technologies have evolved further. Today interactive 3D immersive environments can be used to provide more efficient ways to solve problems and improve design choices at very early stages of new product developments. This paper analyses how Automotive (and Manufacturing in general) can benefit from the adoption of VR tools when they are examined from a problem-solving perspective in the context of the Product Emergence Process (PEP). Two areas of product development have been considered for this purpose: Quality Assessment and Process Planning. Related demonstration scenarios have been developed at the Virtual Engineering Centre of the University of Liverpool with the purpose of carrying out an exhaustive evaluation of benefits gained by the adoption of VR technologies in new product development

A survey of virtual prototyping techniques for mechanical product development

Repeated, efficient, and extensive use of prototypes is a vital activity that can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful entry of new products into the competitive world market. In this respect, physical prototyping can prove to be very lengthy and expensive, especially if modifications resulting from design reviews involve tool redesign. The availability and affordability of advanced computer technology has paved the way for increasing utilization of prototypes that are digital and created in computer-based environments, i.e. they are virtual as opposed to being physical. The technology for using virtual prototypes was pioneered and adopted initially by large automotive and aerospace industries. Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing industry also need to take virtual prototyping (VP) technology more seriously in order to exploit the benefits. VP is becoming very advanced and may eventually dominate the product development process. However, physical prototypes will still be required for the near future, albeit less frequently. This paper presents a general survey of the available VP techniques and highlights some of the most important developments and research issues while providing sources for further reference. The purpose of the paper is to provide potential SME users with a broad picture of the field of VP and to identify issues and information relevant to the deployment and implementation of VP technology

Using virtual reality and 3D industrial numerical models for immersive interactive checklists

At the different stages of the PLM, companies develop numerous checklist-based procedures involving prototype inspection and testing. Besides, techniques from CAD, 3D imaging, animation and virtual reality now form a mature set of tools for industrial applications. The work presented in this article develops a unique framework for immersive checklist-based project reviews that applies to all steps of the PLM. It combines immersive navigation in the checklist, virtual experiments when needed and multimedia update of the checklist. It provides a generic tool, independent of the considered checklist, relies on the integration of various VR tools and concepts, in a modular way, and uses an original gesture recognition. Feasibility experiments are presented, validating the benefits of the approach

Digital Twin Technology: A Review of Its Applications and Prominent Challenges

Digital twin is a virtual representation of physical product that is used as benchmark to evaluate, diagnose, optimize and supervise operational performance of products before venturing into mass full production in accordance with global standard. Digital twin merges virtual and physical objects together via sensors and IoT to transmit data and keep traces of objects interactivity within present environments. In virtual model environment, digital twin permits product troubleshooting and testing to minimize rate of failure and product defects during product manufacturing to enhance effectiveness and customers’ satisfaction. Digital twin is utilized throughout product life-cycle to simulate, optimize and predict product quality before final production is financed. Digital twin is beneficial to modern digital society because attitude of modern factory workers can be boosted to improve motivation to work. Digital twin has come to stay, future product suppliers may be required to put forward digital twin of their products beforehand for virtual lab testing before making order while suppliers that fail to comply may be left over. With emergence of digital twin, virtual testing can be conducted on proposed products before finding their ways into physical marketplaces. Business sector remains most beneficiaries of digital twin to predict present and future state of physical product via digital peer analysis. Today, digital twin application can support enterprises by improving product performances, decision making and customers’ satisfactions on logistic and operational workflow. However, in this survey of digital twin research, efforts have been made to review in detail about digital twin, its impact and benefits to modern society, its architecture; security challenges and how solutions are proffered. It is believed that ICT experts, manufacturers and industries will leverage on this research to improve QoS (Quality of Service) for new and future products to take full advantage of profits on investment returns via digital twin

Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model

The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users. However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines. Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved - the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design. This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls