Beyond the Mind’s Eye
By Scott Gourley
As weapons systems become increasingly complex, the engineers who develop them need to pay close attention to the full lifecycle design, from the schematics on a page to the long-term sustainment out in the field. Two tools that are central to digital engineering, and can help engineers visualize this entire process, are augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
AR and VR are two technology mediums that allow engineers to visually conceptualize systems in their actual environment. Northrop Grumman's Virtualization Immersive Systems Lab (VISL) in Plymouth, Minnesota is doing just that.
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Josiah Dewhirst, a systems modeling simulation engineer at Northrop Grumman adds, “We can visualize the initial concept into product demonstration, and then all the way to the end product, using data we’ve collected along the way to improve training and maintenance of the final product."
Furthermore, Dewhirst stresses that these technologies empower engineers to more easily investigate possible design changes without having to go back to square one
Fale added the ability to characterize the form, fit, and function of weapon systems prior to design or a physical test allows engineers to more effectively take the system’s full life cycle into consideration during the design process.
