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www.utilityweek.co.uk/fLeX
A
wave of innovation in virtual,
augmented and mixed reality
has opened the door for
energy and utilities firms
to become pioneers in
immersive digital technology.
e widespread availability of more
affordable hardware – a result of rising
consumer interest in gaming, coupled with
growing industry awareness of potential
end-use applications in design, operations,
training and other departments – has
driven the rollout of various trials and
real-world deployments.
R e a l i t y
c h e c k
e latest virtual and augmented
reality systems can help
streamline the design of facilities
and equipment, de-risk staff
training and enhance
operations in the field.
By Stephen Cousins
Designers are exploring the potential of virtual reality
(VR), which is able to place project stakeholders into
a photo-realistic simulation of a proposed scheme, or
enable engineers to test the usability and ergonomics
of prototype equipment.
e technology is also becoming a valuable training
tool to test out potentially hazardous scenarios without
the danger of injury or the need to temporarily close
down operations. e ability to plug employees into
VR is typically much cheaper than ferrying them to
remote training sites.
"Up and down the utility value chain, people are
looking at digital tech as a turbocharger for productivity
and VR is already getting real-world applications,
T E C H N O L O G Y
Above: HoloLens
mixed reality
headsets allow
a 3D model of
a building to be
projected onto
a table top
