Virtual reality (VR) applications are gaining acceptance in the HVAC industry. Attendees at the 2017 AHR (Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating) Exposition saw several applications that bring the popular technology to the HVAC professional community.

Training is one of the first areas that adopted VR. Brown Technical Media Corp., a division of Panther Virtual reality (VR) headset. Image credit: Wikimedia CommonsBiotechnology, in partnership with The Center of Air Conditioning and Heating, is introducing virtual reality environment (VRE)-based training into technical skill trades. Noah Davis, Panther president and COO, pointed out that, in addition to portability, VR learning systems enable students to learn in a richer environment. This could be helpful for students who do not learn as well in traditional environments.

VR also improves deliverability of on-site training, especially for busy engineers. Using a VR headset on demand gives technical personnel the flexibility to train according to their own schedules.

Visualizing a job site before construction starts is another useful application for VR. Contractors and engineers can “walk” a job site to spot issues and problems. For example, the HTC lens makes problem detection easier before construction gets underway. Resolving issues when a building is still “virtual” saves time and money.

Some HVAC contractors are using VR during sales calls. One company president explained that his sales staff uses VR to walk potential customers through his company’s offices and supply rooms and to introduce his staff.

Younger engineers and contractors grew up with VR and are readily adopting the technology. When asked whether baby-boom generation engineers would adopt VR, Matt Mauzy of Mauzy Heating, Air, and Solar, commented that “believe it or not, they actually embraced [VR] even more because they’re so blown away by it.”

Augmented reality (AR) could be a next step for HVAC. AR takes a live view of a real-world environment and adds computer-generated sensory input: sounds, text, graphics and the like. AR could be used in design, enabling engineers to create a piping system in an existing room. The technology has an advantage over VR in that it is a group, rather than an individual, experience. An entire design team could be present and active in an AR environment.

Mauzy believes that VR will continue to grow in popularity, and practitioners will find new ways to use it. “We are already thinking of taking the app and having different versions of it,” he said. “We would love to have a virtual reality time lapse and take customers not only into our facility or a home, but show them a full installation of a system in two minutes.”