VR: Looking inside the box

Virtual Reality (VR) makes for some fun entertainment but can be about much more. Funded by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) my research over the past few years has been developing fast simulation software that allows engineers to simulate and analyse the airflow around vehicles inside a special virtual-reality video game. This talk will introduce some of the computing technology behind the tool. Audience members can then use it for themselves and see how JLR and The University of Manchester are using VR-based technology to design the cars of the future.

Robots are going to take over our jobs. Sure! But let them do the dangerous stuff. Having humans inspecting nuclear reactors, oil rigs or chemical plants is a health and safety officer’s worst nightmare. Researchers in Manchester are investigating whether robots and drones could be used to create a digital copy of such places – but without the hazards. In the future, engineering superheros will slip on their virtual reality headsets, before fearlessly entering the universe’s most extreme environments; all from the comfort of the office.