Volkswagen to integrate augmented reality in its factory lines

Volkswagen has put augmented reality to work in its Chattanooga Tennessee, U.S.A factory.

As the plant ramps up production of the new Atlas Cross Sport and lays groundwork for assembling the next generation of Volkswagen electric vehicles planned to begin in 2022, engineers now have a new tool, using augmented reality goggles to design production lines and help spot potential issues.

The software tool was developed over just six weeks by the Volkswagen Virtual Engineering Lab California, based on requests and feedback from technicians in Tennessee. The system helps designers see not just individual parts, but how existing and future equipment could interact in a real environment.

This makes decision making quicker as potential issues are spotter sooner, as well as being a communications platform to share ideas quickly. Some early examples include identifying pinch points between machinery and parts that were not visible before.

With so many people generating input into the processes, communication is important so that decision making speeds up, which means more efficiency and focus on assembling higher quality vehicles for customers.