Industry is evolving. As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, businesses of all kinds are finding that mechanization, computers, and robotics have transformed production into a whole new animal.
Now, virtual reality (VR) systems are being used to fulfill needs that CEOs and analysts never even knew existed. As the landscape continues to change, businesses must embrace revolutionary technologies or risk being left in the virtual dust.
More Than a Buzzword
As history tells it, there have been three major industrial revolutions, and the manufacturing world is on the brink of a fourth. Most people learn about the first major industrial revolution in grade school; during the mid-18th century, entrepreneurs began to develop mechanization tools to produce goods, dramatically reducing the cost of production and increasing the availability of certain products.
The second revolution occurred at the turn of the 20th century, around 1870-1914, when mass production became a key concern. Businesses began to streamline production and develop new ways to allow existing technologies to work together. The assembly line is often associated with this revolution.
The advent of robotics heralded the coming of the third age of industry, as computer-guided machines began to offer a new level of accuracy and precision.
Much like the second revolution, the fourth revolution, also referred to as Industry 4.0, looks to synergize current technologies and optimize their coexistence. Computers have advanced dramatically since being incorporated into mechanization tools during the 1960s, and ideas like “smart” and “dumb” factories have come about — distinguishing between companies that adopt technology to make production more efficient and those that don’t.
Virtual Reality, Tangible Results
This is where virtual reality makes its entrance. The concept of a virtual space, where the user can interact with objects they can see in three dimensions, has been a dream that only recently became a reality. Gaming companies have developed this technology for entertainment purposes, but virtual and augmented reality (AR) are also finding their place in the manufacturing world.
Virtual systems have found a particularly strong foothold in the industrial education sphere. Training employees no longer requires real-world interaction, substantially minimizing the risk of personnel injury or machinery damage while cutting down on wasted resources and inconsistent educational sessions. Plus, board members and customers alike can virtually visit factory floors and interact with product development directly, allowing for collaboration across the globe.
VR technology can help maximize the potential of nearly any project. For preventative maintenance, users have the ability to inspect machinery and make minute adjustments on the fly, identifying problems that manual inspections may miss. Businesses seeking to construct new facilities or rework existing layouts can move machines, add walls, and remove windows, all in real time, while occupying a virtual space.
Ideas Meet Implementation
As many businesses and industries begin to venture onto virtual ground, it has become clear that the applications for VR technology are practically limitless. For instance, many companies have found that the development of augmented reality overlays and interactive VR spaces allows for enhanced interaction with both customers and employees.
Below are a few of the innovative ways industries are incorporating this technology.
- Augmented reality overlays of a patient’s vascular system
- Real-time highlighting of damaged parts while still installed in machinery
- Tours and inspections of physical or virtual properties
- Designs and prototypes constructed and manipulated in a virtual space
- AR/VR interaction, allowing representatives to see what the customer is seeing
By influencing every aspect of industrialization, from prototyping to maintenance, VR systems can benefit industries of all kinds, and continue to gain traction every day.
Virtual Becoming the Reality
As technology companies work to make VR systems even more manageable and easier to use, the industrial landscape offers fertile ground for implementation. VR tools provide a range of unique benefits — the ability to bring about change on the factory floor, collaborate over great distances, and interact on new levels — and businesses will need to seize on these opportunities, or risk going the way of the dinosaur.
Image Credit: Neoscape