Security Operation Center (SOC) Experts
13.07.2020
13.07.2020
Ilya Simonov, VR Expert, NGN International
Over seven years in XR development, I worked my way from a junior specialist to Head of Immersive Technologies, a business unit of IT-company. My team has been creating XR products for the manufacturing sector for over five years now. Last year, we completed an educational project in Bahrain, adding it to our success stories. In this article I’m going to tell you how we trained Bahraini students in VR/AR development and turn-key project completion in just five months, with some of them already working in this field.
XR use cases
First, I would like to say a few words about XR application today. People uninvolved in VR/AR may think that XR solutions are only used for games. Indeed, highly realistic Half Life: Alyx, Project CARS 2, Resident Evil 7, etc. make quite an impression. But today, VR/AR/3D and other immersive technologies go far beyond the game world and are already being used to create advertising and promotion materials, virtual tours of museums and places of interest, as well as to try on clothes or pick a couch for a living room from a smartphone app. At the same time, industrial application seems to be the most promising for such technologies, which is supported by a TAdviser research claiming that the industrial VR/AR market will grow sixfold to reach approximately 9.2 billion rubles in three years. Some companies already have immersive technology teams and departments, and XR developers are currently in high demand with both IT businesses and manufacturing corporations.
Why are these technologies so popular in the manufacturing industry? As most industrial accidents are caused by human errors, theoretical knowledge of occupational safety alone is not enough. However creating a variety of training benches to master all the machines is expensive and difficult even for large manufacturing enterprises. As a result, some enterprises even conduct personnel training using real-life equipment, which leads to accidents and costly equipment failures. VR simulators minimize human errors by allowing personnel to practice routine operations and emergency activities in a safe environment. This is exactly what our team specializes in. We use immersive technologies to improve industrial and occupational safety, with several experts being dedicated to enterprise customers from each particular sector to create industry-specific simulators.
Where to study XR development?
Even though XR developers are in high demand, and the global markets are lacking such specialists. Last year, a Bahraini business and education support foundation offered us to develop a VR/AR project creation training program. Indeed, the Middle East has many manufacturing enterprises that are either interested in or already use VR simulators as I already described, but is low on specialists in such projects.
We were happy to take this offer, as for many years, we have been implementing projects in this market jointly with our local business partner. Moreover, we gained rich experience conducting XR development courses at CROC office in Moscow for three years in a row. Actually, many of those trainees joined our team and some even started their own VR/AR businesses. There are still very few immersive technology courses and programs, and a couple of years back, there were next to nothing.
By the way, not only students want to become XR developers. Manufacturing companies come to XR developers for personnel training. Thus, several manufacturing enterprises have already asked us to organize training projects for their personnel, similar to the one we did in Bahrain.
In 2019, we launched an XR development course in Bahrain. First of all, we needed to select 15 trainees who had to speak English, have basic programming skills and a degree in design, programming, architecture, or engineering. Remarkably, the resulting group consisted of 13 girls and only two guys. Turns out, the majority of Bahrainis can afford for their children to study abroad, but not many are ready to let their daughters go away, so girls stay in the country and often make up the majority of the audience even when it comes to complex technical courses.
Over the course of ten weeks, we delivered an introductory VR/AR course, taught them Autodesk Maya 3D modeling and Unity 3D programming, as well as writing programs for desktops and iOS/Android smartphones, and basic project management. We strived to teach students not only immersive technologies but also how to solve business tasks of customers using them.
That is why we decided to attract several companies for which students would complete graduation projects based on VR/AR and received tasks from a petrochemical company and an engineering consulting company. Practical training took us eight more weeks and consisted of a CustDev meeting with customers to identify their needs and then actual creation of optimal solutions. It should be noted that we taught our students how to communicate with and identify the needs of customers in order to create the best-fit product. Indeed, the ability to establish communication with a customer is as important as modeling skills for a developer.
Over the 12 weeks of training, we formed three work groups which, despite a tight schedule, learnt how to create real-life custom-made products, manage time and risks, establish efficient communications, and take responsibility for the final result.
Let me tell you about graduation projects of our students. One of them is an AR real estate marketplace navigator. The customer needed to draw the attention of clients by ensuring convenient navigation around its real estate properties. Our students decided to create an eye-catching AR app that would be available from any smartphone or tablet. The app provides users with location data and directions, a virtual robot guide, information about local stores, and even site related services, such as booking a water taxi. Here is how the app looks:
The second project was done for an engineering consulting company that wanted to showcase the design of a university still being under construction. Our students created a VR tour with detailed descriptions and navigation. Today, such tours are often used to demonstrate apartments and houses, that are not yet built, to potential buyers. The resulting app can give users a tour around seven areas of the university, including its dormitory, library, and canteen.
Here is the library:
As part of the third project, the students developed a prototype of a VR simulator of the pump semi knocked-down assembly for a local petrochemical company. This way, without creating a full-fledged simulator, the company got to see the technology in operation, decide whether it is suited for its tasks, and have it approved by all stakeholders.
This is our common approach to immersive technology projects for manufacturing companies. First, we hold in-depth interviews with company employees to identify their needs and ‘pains’, and then develop a simulator prototype for them to test and approve. After that, a company may create a full-fledged simulator to train engineers in equipment operation. The students who took on this project discussed the details with the customer, visited customer’s sites, and created an accurate digital model of equipment—all on their own. This is why project management skills are essential.
Upon completion of this program, almost one third of our students went for it and found a job in XR development, which was not that hard with the project creation experience gained during the training.
If this article inspires you to have a shot at XR development, here are a few tips from me: