To effectively develop new technological building blocks for the use of virtual and augmented reality in production technologies, CLARTE (Laval), an expert center for virtual and augmented reality, and IRT Jules Verne (Nantes), a shared industrial research institute dedicated to advanced manufacturing, have decided to enter into a long-term strategic partnership for the benefit of manufacturers.
Technologies at the heart of industrial challenges
The manufacturing industry needs to be increasingly agile and flexible to better meet its customers' expectations, to be responsive to rapidly changing markets, and to ensure assistance and safety for its operators. Whether it's virtual reality (VR), an alternative reality created from scratch to immerse the user, or augmented reality (AR), which adds a layer of data to the real world, these technologies are key to meeting these industrial challenges, and are at the heart of the IRT Jules Verne's technological development strategy. For example, in the production phase, augmented reality makes it possible to provide operators with qualified, calibrated information at the right time. This results in productivity gains for the company (time savings, fewer errors, rapid consideration of modifications, etc.), and enhances the operator's value, enabling him to concentrate on his technical gesture and know-how.
Virtual reality will find uses further upstream: in process optimization, for example, thanks to debugging right from the design phase, but also in terms of training or even collaboration to immerse oneself and interact remotely. While a number of VR and AR technologies have been perfected, their suitability for industrial use and their appropriation by the factory floor have yet to be confirmed. One of the IRT's technology platforms, Technocampus Smart Factory, and its industrial virtual reality center, inaugurated last November in St Nazaire, is one of the levers for this, but beyond the pooling of equipment, a more structured partnership was needed.
CLARTE/ IRT Jules Verne: a structuring partnership for industrial uses of VR/AR
To accelerate the development of VR/AR technology building blocks for industry, the IRT Jules Verne has chosen to work with a major player in the field, CLARTE, which has been working with companies for many years on R&D, consulting, expertise and awareness-raising initiatives around these technologies.
This collaboration is based on a strategic partnership that includes a number of components:
- Collaborative research and innovation on VR/AR applications applied to the production sector.
- Animation: IRT Jules Verne has commissioned CLARTE to set up and manage a VR/AR animation program (conferences, seminars, etc.) coordinated with Technocampus Smart Factory and the EMC2 cluster.
- Training: development of an ad hoc training program within the IRT Jules Verne Manufacturing Academy
To carry out these various projects, the IRT Jules Verne will work with CLARTE to develop an in-house technological research team focusing on VR/AR applied to production. As a first step, CLARTE will provide one person who will be integrated into the heart of the IRT Jules Verne research teams.
Learn more: www.irt-jules-verne.fr