Virtual reality is not just for entertainment purposes, even though on the surface it might seem like it would be ideal for games and movies. In fact carmaker BMW has recently announced that they will be adopting the HTC Vive and will be using the technology as part of their vehicle development process in the future.
According to BMW, virtual reality has been attempted to be used in vehicle development processes in the past, but the technology was limited to specialised facilities meaning that it wasn’t as freely available to everyone. However with the HTC Vive (and other similar headsets) that have been designed for the mass market, integrating virtual reality in the development process has been made much easier.
So what will BMW be using these headsets for? According to the company, “By incorporating consumer electronics, the developers gain an unprecedented degree of flexibility, because any modifications can be implemented and tested very quickly. In addition to this, developers around the globe will be able to take part in the decision-making process from their own office without having to travel too far. Only once the draft designs have been approved with the help of the 3D headsets will they actually be built for further testing.”
Sounds like an interesting way to develop vehicles, and we wouldn’t be surprised if other carmakers were to adopt virtual reality technology in similar ways in the future.
Filed in . Read more about Bmw, HTC Vive and Virtual Reality (VR).