New virtual reality 'CAVE' will save time, money in automation processes

Local automation companies have a new tool to use in development.The Virtual Reality CAVE for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technologies officially opened in Windsor Wednesday.

Funded in part through the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the VR CAVE gives Windsor-Essex partners access to specialized equipment and services.

For Suresh Rama,director of business innovation and research and development for Valiant TMS,it means a faster, cheaper work process to develop automation lines for manufacturing companies.

"We do a lot of simulations, before we start building the line physically," said Rama. "This lets us show the line to our customers even before we build it."

By doing that, Rama said they will be able to address details and make changes a customer might want, even before anything is physically constructed.

"It takes a lot of steps out of the process," said Rama, estimating that about 20 per cent of the cost would be saved on each project by not buying unnecessary materials and in time saved.

RaedKadri, director of automotive technology and mobility innovation at the Ontario Centres of Excellence said the VR CAVE will help ensure Ontario, and Windsor, remain a leader in transportation technology.

"In Windsor, automotive is very important. We already build technologies that go into the global market," said Kadri. "The back end simulation that the computers are crunching and doing, you can take it and commercialize it."

Virtual reality testing can be used in the automotive industry, for consumer products and in aerospace systems. The CAVE in Windsor is the largest public display in Canada.