Successes and Challenges on Using VR in Product Design and Engineering

Through our multidimensional world, our actions and the methods which we solve problems are based on our knowledge and experience. Moreover, the knowledge and methods used to develop and engineer products follow this same principle. For product design and engineering, the enabling technologies provided by a host of virtual reality hardware and software have provided marked efficiencies. These efficiencies are realized not only by replicating the physical world virtually, but by creating efficient virtual evaluations that go beyond what is possible in the physical world. However, challenges do exist. There are gaps in functionality in hardware, software and in methodology. These gaps are significant and do leave room for an evaluator to question the accuracy of a virtual evaluation. If specific tenets are adhered to regarding virtual assessments, trust in the results increases. Also, as technology improves, realism improves. Correlation with the natural world directly relates to believability in the results. Baron will explain the VR systems used at Ford and the successes and challenges of virtual reviews. She will relay the practical principles Ford employs regarding conducting virtual assessments, as well as the types of assessments that are used in vehicle development and engineering. And she will also provide insight on where gaps exist in the current suite of VR tools, and thoughts on the future of human/computer interaction for vehicle engineering and design.