PROVO, Utah, Feb. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Brigham Young
University (BYU) are collaborating to apply gaming
technology for engineering purposes, allowing users to interact
with, record and share engineering designs in virtual reality.
Last year, the company awarded a research grant to the BYU
Department of Mechanical Engineering to develop aspects of a
virtual reality (VR) training and design review system that will
advance Lockheed Martin's digital engineering capabilities. BYU
engineering student and Lockheed Martin intern Jeffery Smith helped facilitate a virtual
reality research partnership between the company's Collaborative
Human Immersive Lab (CHIL) and BYU.
"The BYU students created an impressive demo of the VR system
that really highlights the potential of this technology, even in
its early stages," said Darin
Bolthouse, manager of Lockheed Martin's CHIL in Denver, Colorado. "Their work will help us
learn from and share experiential 3-D imagery in every stage of
product development, from engineering design and manufacturing to
operations and sustainment."
The system will leverage immersive 3-D technology for design
efficiency, collaboration and training and will allow the company
to identify potential challenges during development before they
manifest in the manufacturing or sustainment process. Ultimately,
VR engineering saves millions of dollars by avoiding extra design
and build time.
The initial research period concludes in March, and Lockheed
Martin and BYU are discussing options to continue the virtual
reality research partnership, as well as pursue additive
manufacturing research opportunities.
Virtual reality and additive manufacturing are elements of
Lockheed Martin's Digital Tapestry approach, which employs modern
digital technology to seamlessly connect conceptualization, design,
verification, manufacturing and sustainment. The company applies
the Digital Tapestry to a variety of projects, from interplanetary
spacecraft to missile development programs.
The Digital Tapestry will also play a prominent role in a new
Lockheed Martin program office that is under construction at Hill
Air Force Base in Northern
Utah.
"With VR and the high-tech laboratory space we are building in
Utah, our customers will be able
to experience our designs virtually with greater fidelity than
we've ever had before," said John
Karas, Lockheed Martin vice president and Ground Based
Strategic Deterrent program manager.
For additional information, visit our websites:
www.lockheedmartin.com/digitaltapestry and
www.lockheedmartin.com/gbsd.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin