Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design 
AR/VR Lab
Virtual worlds offer pioneering solutions
In the AR/VR Lab, you can join us in exploring the fascinating possibilities that augmented and virtual reality have to offer. You will learn about the specific benefits of computer-assisted augmentation of reality along the entire product life cycle and what tasks these innovative technologies can perform at the company - from commissioning to quality assurance and even maintenance.
Concept
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) link real-world objects with virtual information. In the AR/VR Lab, we explore the use of these visualization technologies along the product life cycle. We analyze new use cases and develop AR/VR-based product, service and business model innovations for industry partners. We place particular emphasis on collaborative virtual work environments, which we create by combining various augmented reality devices, mobile virtual reality solutions and natural interaction technologies. We can also simulate the connection to corporate processes and databases via a central software system.
Benefit from our expertise in methods and processes covering the entire product life cycle as well as in technologies and devices that are already available on the market. We will work with you to develop AR/VR solutions that are tailored to your specific needs and application and that can save you time and money while improving the quality of your production.
Target group
We can support you in the development and implementation of new product and service ideas by using state-of-the-art AR/VR applications and innovative visualization solutions. Company representatives, but also employee representatives, can experience the possibilities for more efficient design of activities and processes first-hand and learn about their effects on future production operations.
Service offering
In the AR/VR Lab, we demonstrate the current proficiency level of augmented and virtual reality and provide you with a well-founded overview of the specific application and usage potential that these technologies have for companies. We can devise specific courses of action that will allow you to establish AR/VR solutions in practice, set the gears of innovation in motion and develop forward-looking product, service and business models.
We organize workshops on how to use and program AR/VR solutions and provide live demos for visitors and at events. In addition, we design and develop individual AR/VR solutions that are tailored to your company’s requirements. If you want to develop AR/VR solutions in-house, we can supervise your project and enable you to program your own AR/VR applications on-the-job. The AR/VR Lab is also used for our research projects, such as the current Digital Collaboration Platform for Additive Manufacturing (DigiKAM).
Digital mock-up in the development of production systems
In a pilot project, Hella and the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design IEM used augmented reality goggles to project virtual components and tools onto a cardboard prototype, turning the mock-up into a mixed mock-up. In this way, the workplaces of the future and the individual work steps of an assembly process can be tested in a very realistic manner.