Highlights of 75 years - Hettich

A different kind of headset
The name may be new to you,
but you‘ve already seen some
of the effects. If you saw Star
Wars, back in 1977, you‘ll
have seen Princess Leia as a
hologram on a real stone table.
Or if you watch soccer on the
box, the arrow that shows
the distance from the ball to
the goal for a free kick will
be a familiar sight. All this is
augmented reality – superimposing
computer-generated
graphics onto the real world in
real-time. Hettich is engaged
on research into industrial uses
for this new technology.
Hettich has long been interested
in this field and has cooperated
with the Heinz Nixdorf Institute at the
University of Paderborn since 2003. With
high-performance servers and high-tech
equipment, researchers are experimenting
with ways of using augmented reality to
improve technical and design processes, or
in a sales situation. For example, instead
of having to consult an assembly manual,
a person doing an task might have the
assembly instructions inserted into their
field of vision as they work. The information
could specify parts and tools required,
and precise dimensions. One stumbling
block in the way of widespread use of
portable augmented reality systems is
that the mobile displays still tend to
be cumbersome.
service
Augmented reality
adds a new view
of the world
Carl Zeiss offered a solution to this
problem at a technology press conference
in 2004. Zeiss researchers developed
a head-mounted display (HMD), that
looks something like a pair of eyeglasses.
This HMD is capable of creating a large
virtual image with outstanding optical
quality which seems to float in front of
the user. Even very small details are crystal
clear, because the image is as good as the
image on 17“ monitor at the standard
working distance.
The speakers at the press conference
suggested several everyday applications
for head mounted displays and
augmented reality. One example was a
car mechanic who could don the HMD,
peer under the bonnet and see repair
instructions inserted into his field of view,
corresponding to the engine parts he is
looking at. Input could be speech controlled
and the mechanic would be able to work
without spending time consulting a
manual. The computer-generated symbols,
texts, graphics or animations would be
superimposed on the mechanic‘s view of
the engine. Zeiss researchers are still
working to refine individual system
components, not only the headsets, but
also the portable computers and radio
units for data transmission to and from a
wireless network (WLAN, Bluetooth).
Small portable computers still lack the
power to process the huge amounts of
data at speed, but mass production and
use are getting closer.
The sky‘s the limit if you think about
the uses for augmented reality. In
the furniture industry this could mean
technical instructions and assembly
information, or even planning support for
designers. Think of wearing an HMD to
look at a piece of furniture and seeing all
the available variants– different colours,
different extras and modifications –
successively superimposed on the unit
you are actually looking at.
Hettich is already moving towards this
future. One example is the ProDecor
Configurator clickable on the Hettich
home page. This tool lets designers position
virtual ProDecor handles on a virtual
piece of furniture in a 3D view. They can
experiment endlessly with different handle
styles and surface finishes. It‘s virtual
reality, a precursor of augmented reality.
Augmented reality makes it possible
to insert extra context-sensitive
information into a person‘s real view of
the world. As a way of communicating
information it has huge potential. Watch
this space and see how Hettich is using
the new technology.
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