Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/892519
The reality of virtual reality • Has the latest wave of simulation technologies opened the door for revolution in the water sector? Yes, says MWH's Damon Webster design has typically relied on the experience of workers to execute the required tasks, sup- ported with 2D information. This has presented major ineffi- ciencies over the years with every project participant having to interpret plans and sections and form a spatial understand- ing in their own minds. Inaccu- rate and outdated 2D drawings have, in some cases, led to mis- communications between pro- ject teams during the actual exe- cution of a project, resulting in expensive delays, unsafe work- ing conditions and soaring costs. With lifelike 3D models, simulations and immersive visualisations, we can test pro- ject plans in the virtual world, and workers can see precisely what they need to do before they attempt it on the job. VR allows us to interact with a computer-simulated environ- ment at full scale which ulti- mately minimises costly peri- ods of delay, mitigates risk and allows us to plan and schedule operational procedures that enhance efficiency and health and safety standards. Just as importantly, it unifies the mul- tiple interpretations and ONSITE DIGITAL ENGINEERING Staff can be trained off-site using VR without disrupting normal work routines or exposing them to the real hazards 'mind's eye' images of the pro- ject collaborators through a single 'view' of the project fur- ther reducing misunderstand- ing across disciplines. It is because of this that we must not underestimate the huge impact VR and aug- mented reality can have on productivity in the sector and indeed the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibil- ity has recently announced that it expects to "signifi- cantly" downgrade its esti- mates of Britain's potential productivity growth. British employees work an I n the 1950s, inventor Morton Heilig developed the Telesphere Mask, a tele- scopic television apparatus for individual use to give a specta- tor a complete sensation of real- ity, and so the idea of 'virtual reality' (VR) was introduced. Since then, the technological revolution has le• no stone unturned across our modern industries – and the water sec- tor is no exception. In 2017, we are already wit- nessing how developments in virtual reality and augmented reality are changing the way the industry communicates its service offering. Traditional pen and paper methods have followed a downward trajec- tory ever since the mainstream microcomputer entered the market during the 1980s, but the latest wave of simulation technologies has opened the door for revolution in our industry. No longer do we have to imagine what a work site, a structure or a build will look like – we can instead immerse ourselves and our clients in detailed visualisations of pro- jects before a brick has been laid or a fluorescent jacket donned. Despite these changes at the cutting edge of technology, engineers are not utilising vis- ualisation to its full potential. Technology is skipping ahead, and it is time that our profes- sion tried harder to keep up. The engineer needs to evolve. Over time, planning and 8 WET NEWS NOVEMBER 2017 average of 38 days a year more than those is Germany, yet the UK still falls far short in terms of productivity. In fact, in 2015, Professor Jon Van Reenen, head of LSE's Centre for Economic Performance, said that if British workers could be as productive as those of Germany or France, we could take every Friday off and still earn the same amount of money as we do now. Digital developments can help us fill this void and the engineering sector is no exception when it comes to industries that can have their