Ford designers have been swapping some clay-sculpting steels and rakes for mixed reality headsets and visualization software that can change vehicle design elements – side mirrors, grilles, vehicle interiors and more – in mere seconds.
Ford has been already using VR systems in the past but now they are sharing the fact designers have been piloting Microsoft HoloLens technology for a year now in Ford’s Dearborn studios, allowing them to see proposed virtual design elements as if these pieces were part of physical vehicles. Now Ford is expanding this pioneering testing across the globe.
“It’s amazing we can combine the old and the new – clay models and holograms – in a way that both saves time and allows designers to experiment and iterate quickly to dream up even more stylish, clever vehicles,” says Jim Holland, Ford vice president, vehicle component and systems engineering.
The process of evaluating a vehicle’s side mirror aesthetics and how it affects a driver’s view, for instance, “normally takes days or weeks,” Ford said. With HoloLens, it can be done in “minutes, even seconds.”
The headsets can also be synced to let multiple team members view a design at the same time. This makes collaborating on designs a lot easier, the company said.
Microsoft is holding a mixed reality event on Oct. 3 in San Francisco, which will likely include more details on its efforts
