Ben Bennet is Managing Director of the VR training specialists Luminous Group. Here, he shares his insights into how this new technology is changing the engineering sector.
You’ll already be aware of just how competitive the engineering sector can be, and this means businesses are always looking to adopt new technologies in an effort to stay ahead of the game. Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most exciting and versatile new technologies that is making waves in the sector.
Here, I’m going to talk you through some of the ways that you could be using VR in your work. And I’ll outline the benefits that this could have.
It can be used to provide safer and more effective training
There’s no denying that the work of an engineer can be very demanding and even dangerous. This can make things difficult when it comes to training new staff, and especially those who are starting out in their engineering career. You’ll want to teach them everything they’ll need to know to stay safe on the job, as well as highlight the potential consequences of putting a foot wrong. But, you shouldn’t put them at risk in the process.
This is where VR comes in: it allows you to offer them the hands-on training they require in a safe and controlled environment. This way, they can have a go at all of the necessary tasks and if they make a mistake, they can try again and learn from it. If all of their training was conducted in a real-life environment, they wouldn’t have as much freedom to learn from their mistakes, because it could lead to an accident.
VR training also allows you to show your staff how to deal with emergency situations you otherwise wouldn’t be able to recreate. You can create simulations that teach staff how to respond to gas leaks, fires, equipment malfunctions, and more. So, when you send them out on their first job, you’ll be confident that they’re properly prepared.
Another benefit of VR training is that it can be offered remotely. If you have team members in various locations, this can help you ensure everyone is given the appropriate training. And if you tend to spend a lot of money on getting your workers together for training sessions, VR could help you save a lot of money. Once your VR training materials have been created, you can use them time and time again. And the technology and programmes can be used anywhere, which means your employees can access the information they might need whenever and wherever necessary.
VR can be used to create and review construction plans
Construction projects take a lot of time and money to create, so you need to do everything you can to ensure they’re planned accurately and effectively. With traditional plans, you can’t always identify all of the potential problems with a building’s design. As a result, certain issues might only become apparent during the construction process. If this happens, plans will need to be changed, new models will need to be created, and the building work will have to stop until the situation is rectified. Using VR technology, you can reduce the risk of this happening by bringing your plans to life before a brick is laid.
The technology can make it easier to collaborate
Making use of VR technology when you’re planning a construction project can make it much easier for you to collaborate with people in different locations.
There are a number of ways you can use VR in this way: for example, you could set up a virtual conference room. This is often a lot more engaging than hosting traditional conference calls and is far more effective than only communicating by email.
In addition to this, if there are members of your team who are working remotely, they may not have the chance to see how the construction work is progressing. But if the building plans are created using VR, they’ll be able to admire their work in a virtual environment and might be able to identify any improvements that could be made.
VR is truly changing the way the construction industry operates and, if your business hasn’t adopted this technology yet, it’s about time you considered it. It will help you get ahead of your competitors and give you the tools you need to complete all your work to the highest standard.
