What is Augmented Reality?
With the help of augmented reality technology, the real world can be made larger and more informative. Would you say this makes sense? Consider Snapchat. You’ve probably had an augmented reality encounter if you’ve used social media or played video games. Thanks to mobile apps like Pokémon Go and Snapchat, augmented reality is already commonplace.
Whereas VR completely replaces the real world with a computer-generated one, augmented reality (AR) coexists with it and enhances it with computer-generated elements such as audio, video, and graphics. The use of AR only alters how reality is understood.
- How is AR impacting Engineering design
The use of augmented reality (AR) in engineering design is on the rise, and it is quickly becoming recognised as a crucial tool for engineers working in a wide variety of fields. Advanced digital design capabilities of 2D-anchored Computer-Aided Design have been superseded by the AR experience. For decades, CAD has been the de facto norm among design engineers, despite its many drawbacks.
The inability to properly visualise the design in 3D is a major shortcoming of this method in engineering design. The only way for designers to influence the 2D layout is through the screen. With the use of AR, engineering design teams are no longer constrained by these limitations, and CAD engineers may now project a model onto the real environment as a hologram. This results in novel and more effective methods of interacting with, assessing, and bettering the designs.
As a result of using augmented reality, design engineers can shorten the duration of the development cycle by a significant amount of time. Due of the abundance of free auxiliary apps, augmented reality models can also be easily distributed.
The use of augmented reality (AR) to compare a CAD model to a physical prototype has resulted in an improvement in the overall quality of the final product. Volkswagen’s use of augmented reality (AR) in its digital design processes at the prototype stage is typical. Because of this, discrepancies between the digital and physical designs may be quickly discovered.
Data-driven design is likely to be essential for the development of next-generation products. And augmented reality plays a significant role in gathering this information. In one scenario, sensors built into augmented reality (AR) goods can learn from how people use those products in the real world. The collected data can be shown directly on the AR model, enabling design teams to better match customer expectations in the future iteration of the product.
What is Virtual Reality?
In its simplest form, virtual reality (VR) is an artificially created world in which a user can experience a sense of presence and interact virtually with objects and other people. Immersive experiences can be realised in virtual reality by using either real-world data or computer-generated data, or a combination of the two.
- How is VR impacting Engineering design
Virtual reality (VR) is used in the engineering design process to help engineers visualise and interact with their projects in three dimensions (3D). One major benefit of using virtual reality (VR) during the design phase is that it helps engineers find and fix problems before they are implemented.
Virtual reality is providing a risk-free setting for design teams to evaluate their work. Before beginning work on the actual physical product, it permits them to fix or enhance their designs. It’s a huge money- and time-saver. The ability of virtual reality to depict the finer details of an engineering product is greatly enhanced by high-end graphics, fast refresh rates, and realistic sound and movement.
The design process can begin with virtual reality. In order to improve the efficiency of the design engineering process, virtual reality is being used to review completed designs for errors and other problems before the designs are built and implemented.
Balfour Beatty Rail, an industry pioneer in incorporating VR into design, uses VR engineering in its rail building. Virtual reality is used by the rail infrastructure contractor all the way from the initial stages of a project’s conception all the way through to its completion.
The use of virtual reality can cut down on expenses and speed up the design and production phases of a project. Design teams can now make multiple prototypes of a project, put them through virtual testing, and make adjustments based on the results. One industry that has adopted virtual reality is the automobile manufacturing industry. This aids in avoiding the requirement for creating actual prototypes. The JLR Virtual Reality Centre in the UK has cutting-edge tracking and projection facilities for the next generation of Land Rovers to rely on.
What is Mixed Reality?
People tend to confuse Mixed Reality (MR) with Augmented Reality (AR) since they don’t understand what the term means. A clear distinction, however, exists between the two. In augmented reality, the real world and the computer-generated material do not communicate with one another in any way.
- How is MR Impacting Engineering design
The term “mixed reality” (MR) refers to a technology that combines elements of virtual and physical worlds. Allows for the development of novel visualisations and settings in which digital and material items coexist and communicate in real time.
The Microsoft Hololens can be used for more than just fun in the realm of mixed reality. Envision a world where experts like engineers and others may work in tandem with their onsite colleagues in real time.
Engineers will have more options in the design process thanks to upcoming mixed reality tools. Holograms of three-dimensional objects, either captured in another setting or created artificially, can be brought into their real-world surroundings for manipulation. This kind of innovation is helping to connect the virtual and real worlds.
- Microsoft Hololens
Microsoft Hololens, one of the most widely used pieces of mixed-reality hardware, is allowing programmers and architects to forge new connections with programmes like SketchUp Viewer. Trimble’s first software tailored specifically for the Hololens is an extension of their 3D modelling platform for architects and engineers.
Users can expect monetary savings and reduced development times. Professionals in fields like civil engineering and manufacturing engineering may now use virtual reality to create practical projects on their computers, thanks to the advancements in 3D graphics. Thanks to recent advancements in CAVE technology, design teams can now use projections of virtual graphics in real-world settings.
User mobility has never before been a practicality in the realm of design engineering, but now it is. Insights from user collaborations at a distance can be trusted to be delivered in real time. Projection of 4D design models over the real structure being built is now possible in construction, allowing engineers and inspectors greater insight and accuracy. Better and faster communication between field inspectors and engineers in the office is now possible.
Top 3 AR, VR, and MR Trends in 2020
- Mixed reality and augmented reality applications in education and instructionThere is so much potential for AR to improve classroom instruction. Augmented reality has made it easier for teachers to explain abstract concepts to students. Try to picture a world where we can train people to perform dangerous tasks like surgery, flying, and building without ever putting them in danger. The kids will be able to participate in the action and excitement of their chosen fields without ever having to leave the classroom.Additionally, students with learning difficulties can benefit from AR. Teachers can utilise augmented reality to make their classes more engaging, keeping students’ attention longer and reducing the likelihood that they will wander off task.
The US military has begun using AR and MR to teach soldiers and provide them with information about their surroundings in real time.
- Improved augmented and virtual reality powered by AISurely by now you have heard of the far-reaching effects of AI. When AI is combined with AR, it will allow for richer interactions with the real world and the potential for more immersive experiences.AI, for instance, will be able to assess client data during online purchasing and tailor the experience to each individual shopper. For example, it will let buyers view a product in 3D that is customised to their specifications in real time.
- By 2020, Apple intends to release its own augmented reality glasses.Apple’s much-anticipated augmented reality glasses, according to rumors, will debut around the middle of 2020. The augmented reality glasses will superimpose images of messages, maps, and games onto the wearer’s visual field. And it can communicate wirelessly with other Apple products. Apple isn’t the only tech giant forming partnerships with smaller businesses; Facebook, for example, has worked with eyewear makers like Ray-Ban to develop augmented reality products.