A new partnership between Invest WindsorEssex and a Spain-based technology company could change the way companies test their products or train employees.
Invest WindsorEssex and Virtualware are collaborating on new technology to allow companies to remotely access the Invest WindsorEssex Virtual Reality CAVE without having to travel to the Wheelton Drive office to actually step inside of it.
It would provide users the chance to be in a digital world to test, learn or train on anything from an electric vehicle, build an electric vehicle battery, designing a manufacturing facility, or even manufacturing medical equipment.
Michael Rosas, VP general manager for Virtualware, says what this is doing is bridging a digital gap between physical distances.
The new access to the VR CAVE means users can access the site through a VR headset or a laptop from anywhere in the world, removing a major barrier for users.
Rosas says this could be used for even assembly line design.
“Let’s just say the company is not based out of here, they’re based in Europe, their headquarters are based in Europe. Their engineering teams can be working with local teams to work out what’s happening digitally before they even build. That can save them millions of dollars essentially in what’s going on,” he says.
Rosas says this technology could help save both time and money.
“Time because of speed to be able to get, let’s say the use case of training a workforce for a new plant that’s being built. You can imagine the ability to actually do this before it’s even built,” he says.
Stephen MacKenzie, President and CEO of Invest WindsorEssex, says they will introduce this technology to officials at the NextStar Energy EV battery plant.
“The battery industry is a new industry, an emerging industry, especially here in North America. As our battery plant, NextStar Energy, scales up, there is definitely going to be the need for a lot of training,” he says.
TAG: The $5-billion NextStar electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor will see 2,500 employees hired to work at the 4.5-million square foot plant near the E.C. Row Expressway and Banwell Road.
The three-year partnership between IWE and Virtualware will also support small and medium-sized enterprises.