Volkswagen’s Virtual Engineering Laboratory in
Wolfsburg is using augmented and virtual reality techniques to design cars of
the future.
In
the laboratory two dozen screens flicker, some of them showing graphics and
others hundreds of lines of program code. In the center of the room, there is a
1:4 scale model of a Golf.
Frank Ostermann inspects the model, and then he changes its wheels,
replaces the rear lights and modifies the wing mirrors. Ostermann uses voice
commands and gestures to change the design. It is all completed in a matter of
seconds. Augmented reality makes it possible. The software required was
developed in the Virtual Engineering Lab and the team's results could
revolutionize the work of engineers and designers.
Ostermann is wearing ‘HoloLens’
mixed-reality goggles. The mobile computer developed by Microsoft projects
virtual content onto a physical object through gesture control and voice
commands. Ostermann only needs to point his finger and the HoloLens projects a
different paint colour onto the Golf, installs different wheels and modifies
the fenders. Initially, the Golf is an R-Line model but it then becomes an
entirely new version. Perhaps this model will appear at the dealership in six
months' time.
Ostermann (52) is a
graduate engineer in computer engineering. At Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, he heads
the Virtual Engineering Laboratory, one of six labs now operated by Volkswagen
Group IT in Wolfsburg, Berlin, Munich and San Francisco.
The latest laboratory
is currently starting operations in Barcelona. At these labs, specialists from
Volkswagen are working on the digital future together with research institutions
and technology partnerships. New solutions in the fields of big data, Industry
4.0, the Internet of things, connectivity, mobility services and virtual
reality are being created in close cooperation.
Using augmented and virtual reality
"At Volkswagen, we
have been using augmented reality and virtual reality for some time, mainly to
obtain a three-dimensional view," says Ostermann. "We are now taking
a major step forward at the Virtual Engineering Lab. We are transforming this
technology into a tool for Technical Development. This will allow Volkswagen
engineers to work on a virtual vehicle, to change its equipment as they wish
and even to design new components virtually. They will be able to see the
results of their work immediately."
"We are
cooperating very closely with our colleagues from Technical Development and are
already close to the first new vehicle concepts and design studies,"
Ostermann reports. "We contribute our know-how for technical product
development and offer tailor-made solutions for all Group brands in the fields
of virtual engineering and systems engineering."
What is the reason for
this approach? Augmented and virtual reality help save time and development
costs. Each step in the process can be made faster and more efficient, for
example with HoloLens software from the Virtual Engineering Lab.
The HoloLens not only
projects each design or equipment change directly onto the physical model. It
also allows several project teams to work at the same time but at different
places, for example teams from Wolfsburg, Chattanooga and Shanghai. All
concerned always have the current design model in view and time-consuming
reworking, for example on a clay model, may become a thing of the past.
"The teams can directly follow and compare minimal changes to the model
and then make a decision. This means that they can reach their goal
faster," Ostermann explains.
Currently, the HoloLens
software is still in the trial phase. In future, it will allow users to call up
the entire Volkswagen brand model portfolio and to present different body versions
of a model in all conceivable variants: the developers will then be able to
transform a saloon virtually into an SUV, an estate car, a convertible or a
coupe.
"Just a few years
ago, this was all science fiction," says Ostermann. "Now it is clear
that this is how we will be developing our next models."
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