Project IRMA " Virtual Reality for Manufacturing Applications", is an Intelligent Manufacturing Systems(IMS)
approved inter-regional Virtual Reality (VR) project with partners from the European Union, Newly Associated States
of Eastern Europe, Switzerland and Japan. The key aims of the project are to build, integrate, demonstrate and
evaluate VR ‘application demonstrators’ which reflect different but complementary aspects of industrial manufacturing,
and integrate different commercially available software simulation tools with Virtual Environment software (VEs) that
support real-time, two-way, interaction.
In order to meet this aim, a technical solution involving the integration of commercial simulation packages such as
Delmia’s QUESTTM , IGRIPTM and a number of VE
applications has been attempted. In addition the project has the aim of developing a secure VR data-transfer
software solution suitable for site to site transmission and receipt of the simulation world(SW) and VE messaging
via phone lines, VPN or the internet.
The project technical aims are:
- to develop a flexible generic IRMA "core module" which allows real-time, two-way messaging between several commercial
simulation software applications and a number of interactive virtual environments(VE’s);
- to develop a number of different but complementary interactive industrial VE demonstrators allowing real-time two way
communications via a range of Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI’s) eg stereo projection screen, stereo-headset, joystick,
space mouse, glove, haptics et al.
- the real-time, two-way, semi or fully immersive and interactive industrial software application demonstrators
involve:
- industrial control and monitoring of manufacturing plant(BNFL);
- industrial training of supervisors and maintenance operators for manufacturing plant fault recognition and repair(ZEM);
- a "free-form design" interactive immersive design application(INTEC);
- a visualisation application for the modelling and simulation of structures under simulated earth-quake conditions(UTBv)
- a visualisation application for the modelling, simulation and prediction of rotating machinery life under fault
conditions(UJV Rez).
- to develop a compatible, secure Virtual Reality(VR) data transmission software solution suitable for site to site
transmission of VR application and controlling simulation software data;
- to evaluate the utility and suitability of some of the solutions for application in the industrial manufacturing
context.