Applied Virtual reality Organizer

Virtual reality (VR) techniques offer us the ability to interact with computer images in a way never before experienced. The computer, and later computer graphics, revolutionized the way in which engineers design and manufacture products, and now virtual reality holds the potential to further revolutionize the engineering design cycle by providing engineers with a new window into the computer world. Up until recently, virtual reality was the domain of university researchers. With the appearance of commercial VR software and peripherals, companies have started building virtual reality applications to solve real engineering problems. The focus of this paper is to describe just how and where virtual reality fits into the creation and production of better products for all of us. What do engineers really do? Engineering is an iterative process whereby designs are created, analyzed, tested then modified until the very best design emerges. Then the product manufactured and later to sold. This process is inherently time consuming and expensive. The need for iteration arises due to the fact that engineers can only approximate the behavior of materials and designs through mathematical modeling. For example, in designing a swingset, forces are transfered to the crossbrace when a child swings. These forces can be measured with instruments placed on an existing swing set, but, if a totally new swingset design is being analyzed, these forces have to be estimated based on previous knowledge of existing designs combined with a basic understanding of the laws of nature. Once the forces are obtained, the size of the crossbrace can be determined based on the strength of the material and the geometry of the crossbrace. If the geometry or the forces are complex, computer analysis is performed to determine the resultant stresses in the crossbrace and compare these stresses to the strength of the material. Embedded in this whole process are many assumptions. The reality is that engineers can only arrive at “best guesses” based on existing physical laws and principles. Before production of 200,000 swingsets can begin, some testing must occur. After the results of the testing are analyzed, design changes are made and the process repeats until an acceptable design is achieved. Engineers are not only concerned with the strength of a product, as illustrated with the swingset example, but they are often concerned with the use of that product. This is where human factors evaluations come into play. In designing a vehicle, visibility and reachability are concerns of the engineers. Questions such as “Can a small woman see over the steering wheel and beyond the