How extended reality reinvents the factory floor
The industrial landscape has undergone a quiet revolution following advancements in extended reality (XR), the broad category of technologies that includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (VR).
In this article, we’ll take a look at cutting-edge XR applications already driving change in the manufacturing industry for these use cases:
- AR inspection toolkits
- Collaborative VR maintenance
- AR technical training
- Virtual product showcases
- AI robotics simulations
AR inspection toolkits
One of the most widely adopted industrial use cases for XR involves applications built for AR-assisted inspection. These solutions overlay digital information directly onto real machinery or facilities, providing context-rich maintenance workflows with built-in knowledge bases.
HD Hyundai Infracore (HDHI), a leading manufacturer of construction machines, aids its service technicians in maintaining heavy machinery through the use of an AR guidance application. The solution encompasses two modules: an AR overlay that integrates with real-time data inputs from machine sensors to isolate faults, and a separate, knowledge-based module containing 3D schematics that help technicians understand how internal system circuitry communicates with various parts of the machine.
Unity’s extensible Editor made it easy to coordinate switching between these modules. Using custom tooling and views scripted in C#, HDHI’s development team normalized complex electrical schematic data into a more user-friendly visual format, allowing end users to more readily locate where circuitry existed within real-world subjects. Unity also enabled HDHI’s team to create complex visualizations with high graphical fidelity.
The team ensured rapid adoption by first deploying the solution to mobile devices. As usage data informs the development of future updates, HDHI hopes to roll out a fully VR version that leverages Unity’s multiplatform deployment configurations to enable hands-free maintenance through a range of consumer-grade VR headsets.
Collaborative VR maintenance
Although industrial technicians undergo rigorous training before making on-site repairs, the inherent danger of mechanical maintenance is best mitigated by real-time collaboration. Manufacturing giant ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB) uses XR technology to coordinate between repair technicians in the field and their operations counterparts in the control room.
Using Microsoft’s Mixed-Reality Toolkit and AR Foundation, one of Unity’s multiplatform development packages, ABB engineers streamlined development with out-of-the-box support for spatial input data. Anchor components also proved instrumental in saving reference points so that real-time positions could be shared between users, devices, and sessions.
The resulting multiplatform XR solution enables live data capture and AR visualization, thereby ensuring smooth and safe collaboration between stakeholders during on-site repairs. It’s also helped ABB implement digital training modules and conduct procedural performance reviews on footage captured during live repairs.
AR technical training
When it comes to complex manufacturing processes, the value of a subject-matter expert can’t be overstated. Augmented reality provides a way to capture first-person insights so that trainees can learn technical procedures from an expert point of view. Taqtile’s AR solutions are revolutionizing training and maintenance in industries like manufacturing and defense.
The Manifest AR application enables industrial manufacturers to standardize training in complex procedures through learning modules that incorporate real-time video data from actual technicians. Unity’s simple workflows and extensive first-party package library proved useful for rapid prototyping and iteration, especially during deployment.
The HoloLens application now provides AR guidance for maintenance engineers working on heavy machinery, aircraft, and defensive weapons systems.
Virtual product showcases
To reduce costs when shipping large equipment or conducting on-site product demos, Bosch Rexroth added versatility to its sales efforts with a virtual showroom application for VR headsets.
With the added visualization contexts of X-ray and exploded product views, the XR solution improves on conventional product demos through a more immersive, contextual experience. In the solution, prospective customers and sales agents can tour a shared virtual space and explore fully interactive duplicates of Bosch Rexroth’s hydraulic drive and control technologies.
Given the highly complex nature of their products, Bosch Rexroth’s XR development team determined that the best approach was starting with real 3D data. Unity proved indispensable to turning their existing computer-aided design (CAD) files into robust 3D models for its showroom.
Beyond Unity Industry’s modeling tools and built-in product support, the team also took advantage of Pixyz Studio for its dynamic mesh tessellation features and high-volume data ingestion pipelines. Together, these products helped the Bosch Rexroth team virtualize large-scale industrial machines and create fully interactive product teardowns.
AI robotics simulations
As the rest of the corporate world embraces artificial intelligence (AI), factories that rely on large, expensive machinery can’t afford downtime to test new software for industrial robotics. In order to test and iterate on new autonomous guidance routines, Tokyo-based AI technology firm Cross Compass decided to simulate a full factory environment.
By integrating Unity into their end-to-end pipeline, Cross Compass engineers found the flexibility to create complex scenes incorporating realistic physics and accurate 3D models of industry-standard robots. Object-level behavior scripting and dynamic mesh collisions combine to produce lifelike industrial robotics that can perform manual functions like sorting, milling, and retrieval just as they would in a real factory setting.
The XR application offers a rich visualization environment in which clients and partners can communicate progress and discuss project specifications, allowing for faster iteration cycles and unlimited testing while avoiding the onerous task of building controlled real-world environments.
Future innovations
The growing adoption of XR technology is reshaping the future of manufacturing. As XR continues to revolutionize industrial processes, manufacturers who embrace these tools stand to gain significant competitive advantages in efficiency, safety, and precision.
Extended reality solutions offer unprecedented 3D visualization and contextual depth. By integrating XR into their operations, leading manufacturers and equipment suppliers are future-proofing their workflows, transforming sales operations, and streamlining testing processes.
From AR inspections to digital simulations, XR technology offers industrial manufacturers new ways to optimize operations and create safer working environments for their employees. It’s become an indispensable tool for companies looking to maintain a competitive edge.
Unity Industry helps manufacturers create practical XR applications for their workforces. By preserving the integrity of CAD, BIM, and over 70 different 3D data formats, development teams can virtualize their products and facilities in order to streamline processes, reduce costs, and add versatility to their frontline operations.