VW Personnel Trained in Augmented Reality

The level of technological advancement we reached in our age is perhaps more visible in the automotive world than it is in any other field of the heavy industry. For carmakers, having the right tech in place both during the build and in the cars itself equals a great market success.

The Germans from Volkswagen expressed today their interest in having a bit more virtual world helping them in more than the creative process of a car. The carmaker wants to make sure its employees know everything it is to know about a new model.

This is why VW will resort to Augmented Reality technology to help the engineers of the company better understand the development and technical innovations of new vehicle models.

The system is in fact a video-based positioning program which determines the correct position of the image projector and the viewer in relation to the vehicle. Aided by computers, the information is embedded into the viewer's real-world environment with the help of a projector image.

"Three-dimensional design data is projected onto the surfaces of a production vehicle, in the correct position and in perspective even from different viewing angles. This creates a kind of 'virtual x-ray vision' for the viewer, which enables them to see otherwise hidden components and structures inside the vehicle," said Jurgen Leohold, Volkswagen Group Research manager.

So far, the system, which has been developed by Volkswagen, has been tested during the development of the Touareg Hybrid, having been used to train importer instructors.

“The development and functionality of the innovative hybrid technology could be explained with a depth that would not have been possible using conventional means. The international participants' response was thoroughly positive," added Michael Horn, Volkswagen head of After Sales.