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Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are beginning to make an impact on many industries. Perhaps the first that comes to mind is gaming — using VR headsets to upgrade the gaming experience. But gaming is by no means the only industry to take advantage of AR and VR. The manufacturing industry, for instance, has multiple aspects that can be streamlined by VR/AR integration. Below are just a few of those aspects.

Floor Planning

Figure 1: VR can streamline product design. Digital designs can be explored and tweaked without the need for creating physical prototypes. Source: Gorodenkoff Productions OU – stock.adobe.com Traditionally, building a new manufacturing facility was a long process involving multiple blueprints and physical prototype designs. But VR can create a digital environment that allows developers to see a 3D rendition of a new building. A new factory floor can be viewed from all angles and will include small details that may be difficult to envision on a flat blueprint or prototype. Developers can also figure out how to maximize space for efficiency and productivity, including tool and equipment placement. Using VR could eliminate months, or even years, of planning.

Product Design

In much the same way as it can improve floor planning, VR can also streamline product design. Digital designs can be explored and tweaked without the need for creating physical prototypes. This is particularly impactful in the automotive industry, which has traditionally based car designs on clay models, which need to be completely recreated if changes are desired. VR changes the equation.

Worker Training and Performance

VR headsets enhance training, for both new employees and for longtime employees’ ongoing education. Interacting with a digital rendition of the machinery the workers will be using on a day-to-day basis postpones their real-world exposure to equipment, which can be dangerous if it occurs too early in the training process.

Smart glasses can also provide workers with a real-time, AR, heads-up display, which can guide workers through tasks and convey data. This capacity eliminates the need for workers to check reference materials, which could slow down the process, and maximizes productivity.

Inventory Management

Vision picking is an AR application that uses smart glasses to display warehouse inventory items to be retrieved by pointing the worker to where each item is and tracking items as they are gathered. This eliminates the potential for errors as well as the need for paper pick lists. The visual quality of the technology also allows for navigation instructions to be communicated independent of language.

VR and AR are becoming the next big things in manufacturing, from design and planning to worker performance and inventory management. The above examples are just a few of the ways that these technologies can streamline the manufacturing process. The possibilities are endless.