VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY HAS REAL TRAINING BENEFITS

An award-winning immersive technology system is bringing game engine technology and VR simulations to manufacturing and engineering workplaces, enabling fast and safe training to be delivered to new recruits.

AutoLive was developed by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) in partnership with Coventry University Enterprises – Interactive (CUEi) and supported by the Ufi VocTech Trust.

It was conceived to meet a need identified by the automotive sector using a blend of immersive technologies to provide realistic, interactive and engaging experiences of the production line, and its surrounding environment.

‘The AutoLive training solution is set to improve the process of getting manufacturing operatives up and running’

Installing the OpenSmartMonitor system enabled it to monitor energy usage live and compare it to other days, weeks and months. This helped the firm discover areas of the building that were wasting energy so it could change to low-energy LED lighting and cut costs. Meanwhile, the showroom is also equipped with a monitoring solution and dashboard to demonstrate the energy credentials to end customers who visit the site.

Garry says: “It’s a very useful tool for businesses to understand what’s happening in their building, providing a detailed breakdown of where costs are coming from so they can make decisions accordingly.”

Devtank was recently named as a partner in INSPIRE, a £2.4m semiconductor plant project in Durham to drive resource efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing operations in semiconductor fabrication.

Dozens of sensors will be installed at the plant, run by Pragmatic Semiconductor, and alongside the usual indicators will monitor water flow – rainwater is collected on the building’s roof to help with recycling and ensuring an “absolute minimum cost” facility – carbon dioxide, chemicals and energy to improve operational performance.

It all points to the importance of data and the IoT in the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, which describes a fusion between smart technology and the physical world.

“The availability of data at rapid rates of connectivity, and interlinking machines with AI and machine learning, means smart technology is becoming increasingly integrated within everything we do,” adds Garry.

“What’s held back the IoT has been 4G because of its limited bandwidth and speed, but with 5G evolving, it’s now on the verge of bursting into life for SMEs.”

The project enables trainees to gain “on-the-job” training in a risk-free environment, where they can learn by doing. Benefits include reduced training costs, minimised safety risks, more consistent delivery and increased efficiency.

Marion Plant OBE FCGI, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, believes technology can help plug “accelerating skills gaps” in UK automotive manufacturing, which employs 180,000 people but is forecast to create another 20,000 jobs by 2030.

“We know that manufacturing businesses need highly skilled and competent staff that can hit the ground running quickly to maintain consistency, safety and productivity,” she says.

“When new recruits join these businesses, or existing employees take on new roles, they need to be able to engage quickly and safely with the complex tasks involved in producing high-quality products to tight deadlines.

“The AutoLive training solution is set to improve the process of getting manufacturing operatives up and running quickly across multiple sites.”

In 2022, AutoLive was named as the winner in the Skills Innovation category of the national Enginuity Skills Awards, which recognise champions of skills development and innovators.

NWSLC is now seeking collaborative partners interested in incorporating AutoLive system training into their portfolio.

JAPANESE MULTINATIONAL FUJITSU is one of the unseen forces in the UK’s IT infrastructure, underpinning everyday services like banks, energy and even the Government with behind-the-scenes technology that keeps critical systems going.

Its cyber security operations centre (SOC) in Warrington is one of its key services to British businesses but when it came to recruiting new customers, logistics has traditionally been a headache in terms of bringing prospective clients on site to meet busy senior leaders.

So the company turned to Nottingham-based creative agency Affari Media to create an immersive technological solution that cut through these challenges.

Jake Parkin, associate director at Affari Media, explains: “Fujitsu was having issues when making deals because customers would need to bring certain members of their management team to Warrington and sign off the contract, while Fujitsu would also have to make sure its own security experts were available to meet them and give a tour.

More technologies are emerging in the digital marketing space. Affari has carried out some B2B projects using AR, including to demonstrate how a “store of the future” could look using digital visuals on a smartphone overlaying a real-world supermarket environment, but Jake believes this technology is best suited to consumer uses currently.

Holography, which can generate 3D images of an object, could become a compelling market asset in the future. It has already been used by the WWF charity to create an elephant hologram that “wandered” the streets of London to promote a conference, while a place marketing campaign for Brussels projected 500 of its residents on to pedestals to create five-metre-high virtual statues.

But unique, immersive experiences can also be created via relatively established technology like 3D animation, and it’s once more in healthcare where transformation is evident.

Fujitsu’s “Reimaging Healthcare” campaign is underpinned by an interactive web experience, also developed by the Affari team, which displays a map of a fictional city and hospital campus.

Affari provides an online experience that enable users to monitor a variety of products and systems

“But it was taking up the time of these experts who were needed as part of the 24/7 monitoring operation and there were delays in getting deals over the line.

“So we’ve created the SOC’s entire offering in a VR environment, where customers can take a virtual tour of all the features and meet the people in charge of each team to understand how they resolve security threats.”

The immersive experience provides users with a “game show vibe”, with its lifelike features enhanced by photorealistic versions of its characters – the SOC employees – via Unreal Engine, the 3D graphics video game tool.

Benefits resulting from the virtual SOC haven’t been limited to reducing diary demands for important human resources and fast-tracked deals with customers.

Jake adds: “It’s also meant Fujitsu can market the SOC far and wide because the technology breaks down physical constraints. We can send the VR headset to anyone at any time, which suddenly increases its sales potential.”

Users can take their own journey through different areas, including hospital wards, A&E and suburbs, and watch videos exploring how the future of healthcare could look, positioning the company as an industry thought leader. Topics range from using patient data for faster check-in and AR apps to navigate hospital corridors, to the role of radio-frequency identification tags in quickly locating medical equipment and sensor technology in monitoring patient vital signs at home.

Jake says: “It’s a very personalised and easy-to-navigate journey for the user, so whether they are head of a radiology department or oversee customer experience, they can choose the areas most relevant to them and discover the new systems that can support their needs in minute detail.

“For the company, it demonstrates how it is at the forefront of modern healthcare and helps with selling into providers by differentiating itself.

“It lifts the user experience above a static website with a video, and the emotive response will resonate with the user.”

Stasis is long gone, it would seem. With plenty of R&D happening within the metaverse of emerging technologies that underpin Industry 4.0, the ways in which they are used in businesses large and small will only expand.