NucleusVR is an integrator that is developing a collaboration platform for VR applications that allows the use of 360º photography together with models built from CAD data. The company was showing how its system was used to plan and train for a project to decommission a nuclear power station. While staff are protected while in the reactor, it still makes a lot of sense to plan and train using a virtual system to minimise radiation exposure. The platform allows the system to indicate where 360º photos are available to check details and the system includes ‘visual asset management’ (VAM) to check details and, for example, to show the exploded views of items of equipment. Multiple users can be synchronised across a single session to allow collaboration. The system is hardware agnostic and can be used with the Vive or other headsets.
Nucleus was using a headset from Cast AR. This headset is unusual as it includes dual projectors to create a stereo 3D overlay on the real world. Of course, the projectors point wherever the viewer looks.
The Cast AR Projection headset projects a stereo 3D image in front of the viewer. Image:Meko
The Cast AR headset. Image:Meko
The Cast AR projector shown by Nucleus VR. Image:Meko
The image quality was more contrasty in ‘real life’ than they are on the photos. The Cast AR approach is an unusual one, but we would expect power consumption to be something of a challenge.
