In just a year’s time, the market for Virtual Reality technology(VR) is set to reach an estimated $30 billion. And over 150 million headsets have been sold (Source DigiCapital). VR, immersive technology has largely been associated with gaming. However, this technology has moved from its nascent stages and is being used across several industries to improve workplace efficiency.
From removing geographical barriers to developing emotional skill quotient in employees, several businesses are harnessing the goodness of VR to improve productivity.
Some applications of Virtual Reality in the workplace:
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Remote virtual working
Advancement in technology such as internet and video conferencing enabled the world to become a global village. Although they unified businesses who are present across geographies, there has always been a need for a technology that will enable qualified remote assistance and near physical meeting experience. This improves collaboration between team members, saves costs in travelling and gets work done quickly.
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Controlled and monitored testing and training environments
Several technologies have been tested to enable a safe working environment for workers in fields like mining. None have come close to how VR is enabling it for them. With VR, workers are able to simulate a mining environment very similar to the actual scenario. This better prepares them when they are deployed. Also, the risk of letting a trainee unsupervised can be easily addressed with a monitored and controlled training environment. In the field of healthcare, students of medicine can learn better with virtual cadavers. It is improving the training and prototyping process across fields like automotive manufacturing and aerospace engineering.
A CompTIA study found that VR-based training program reduced training time by 40 per cent and boosted the employee performance by a whopping 70 per cent.
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Improving operations
Renault Trucks has been using a Hololens-based solution to improve quality control (QC) functions within its factories. QC operators who wear the headset visualize all the engine parts digitally. These integrated parts in a mixed-reality interface enable them to make better and informed decisions and guide them through most complex control operations. Another manufacturer, BAE systems, has been using VR to make electric propulsion. A Google glass pilot found that wire harness workers at Boeing decreased their assembly time by 25 percent with VR. Working with physical 2D blueprints meant having to shift between checking manuals and assembling. VR enabled workers to assemble hands-free.
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A decline in customer service costs
The Cost to Serve (CTS) is one of the biggest chunks of expense for any business. After rendering the physical product, providing support during the warranty period and assisting customers in their location includes a huge overhead expenditure in travel and the allocation of specialised technicians. Often, these are simple services that can be easily made viable with the help of VR. Virtual reality could help to lower cost to serve by helping customers to troubleshoot issues themselves. Several businesses have improved customer satisfaction rates with the help of VR by promoting self-help and professionally guided assistance through VR.
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Quickly test and develop applications
Companies such as Boeing and Raytheon are using VR to develop products and solutions faster than traditional methods. Raytheon, that produces military hardware, uses a VR simulation chamber called cave to help engineers and designers interact with a digital prototype. This saves millions of dollars in time and costs involved in developing actual products that might have flaws. With minimal investment, VR enables a safe and realistic testing environment for prototypes. Industries like automotive, where cars are developed in digital drawings and modelled in clay can speed up their process with VR prototyping. A digital drawing can be developed into a full-scale clay model. The model is refined, and then thousands of data points on the clay model are gathered to develop the final design.
Why CHRP?
CHRP provides Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality based solutions and after-market services. We work with technologies like Steam VR, Vive, Unreal engine and Unity to give businesses world-class immersive technology solutions. We have a deep domain experience in Industrial / Engineering industry, where VR can be leveraged to enhance the level of efficacy in training on Safety Awareness, Equipment Operations, Service/Troubleshooting, and Maintenance Training.
If you would like to know more about our AR/VR/MR Solutions (or) would like to book for a live demo to experience the virtual reality and talk to our experts, Call us on +91 40 6634 0090 / 91 (or) write to us vrdemo@chrp-india.com
