Digital Engineering – August 2019

12 DE| Technology for Optimal Engineering Design August 2019 /// DigitalEngineering247.com

FOCUS ON

IMMERSIVE DESIGN | EXTENDED REALITY

“With this approach, we can, for the purpose of evaluation,

use different virtual display options of the dashboard to see

how drivers perceive them while driving the car. So, wearing

the XR-1 headset, the driver ‘sees’ the virtual dashboard in

the car, which in reality does not yet exist,” Volvo’s press office

explained in an email to Digital Engineering.

It’s just one example of how AR fuses physical and virtual

products, and enables design review and testing that is otherwise

impossible. Ray-traced, rendered videos give you impressive

visuals. Software-based simulation helps you figure out how a

product might fail. But AR lets you experience a virtual prod-

uct as though it were physically present. From automotive and

aerospace to consumer goods, many manufacturers are looking

at extended reality as the new frontier in product development.

But AR enterprise adoption is not plug-and-play. Without

adequate preparation, projects can easily go awry. For this ar-

ticle, we spoke to those who have gone through the journey to

understand what it takes.

Driving Pixels

Headquartered in Helsinki, Varjo launched its first virtual real-

ity headset called VR-1 in January this year, calling it “the first

human-eye resolution VR.” In its announcement, the company

wrote that VR-1 has “a resolution of more than 60 pixels per de-

gree, which is 20X+ higher than any other VR headset currently

on the market. VR-1 also comes with the world’s most advanced

integrated eye tracking, enabling high-precision analytics and

Identifying the right use case is key to getting the most out of enterprise AR.

BY KENNETH WONG

I

N VOLVO’S RESEARCH FACILITIES in Sweden, test

drivers are becoming accustomed to operating future car

models that only exist as pixels. The car on the road is a

physical vehicle; but what the drivers see is something else.

Outfitted with Varjo’s XR-1 augmented reality (AR) device, they

see the interior of a car not yet manufactured.

Are You XR Ready?

DE_0819_Focus_XR_Ready_Wong.indd 12 7/11/19 2:47 PM