Second Virtalis virtual reality system installed at Rolls Royce Factory of the Future

The University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, with Boeing, is a collaborative venture between world-leaders in the aerospace supply chain, government offices and international academic institutions. AMRC’s new facility is dedicated to developing the new solutions for materials forming, metal working and castings – with a goal of helping UK manufacturing to remain competitive. Its first portable StereoWorks passive VR system, which allows groups of engineers and managers to see virtual objects and environments in 3D, has been taken all over the world. AMRC’s latest system is a bigger, active stereo StereoWorks configuration, with tracking and rear projection – meaning it’s capable of handling massive CAD files. The virtual models can be accessed in real time, thanks to the Sun Cluster that powers it. Says Rab Scott, head of AMRC IT: “We’ve already developed a virtual model of our Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future, and this has helped us to plan layouts and ensure the space is flexible. “For example, we had 7,500 visitors in four and a half years in our last building and we anticipate much greater numbers coming here. So we have created a high level walk way round and over our experimental shopfloor, which will allow our engineers to work without disruption. “Our next step is to incorporate augmented reality using head mounted displays (HMDs) in some of our Framework VI research projects.”