03.11.2009 Now, a new factory set up in “Second life” by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA even makes it possible to get actively involved and produce one’s own quad bike, a four-wheeled motorcycle. In this factory, visitors can switch on the conveyor belts, program industrial robots, and paint the frame themselves. At the end, they can take the finished vehicle and race out of the factory building without paying a single cent.
The factory does not exist in the real world but can be found on the »Second Life« Internet platform. Using a virtual character, an »avatar«, visitors can move around the virtual world. The factory has now been opened to the public, and it only takes three simple steps to get there:
First, register for free in Second Life; second, create your own “Avatar”; then, start into the factory.
“The aim of the “Factory of eMotions” is to give people an understanding of the technically advanced, modern factory. Moreover, we want to demonstrate how new media can set things in motion,” says Stefan Seitz, researcher at the IPA. “Second Life has grown steadily: While in 2007, an average of 20,000 to 40,000 people was online simultaneously, the number has now risen to between 50,000 and 80,000.”
Inside the factory, the user starts by indicating what quad model he wants to produce: High-performance or fuel saving? Black, silver or red? What type of wheel rims? Depending on the user requirements, the system offers a variety of models to choose from. Once the avatar has settled on a specific product, production can begin: The bill of materials is sent out, and all components are manufactured, assembled and subjected to quality control checks. The avatar can watch the manufacturing process and interact at certain stages. Training islands at various factory locations provide the user with background information: How is the production process controlled? How does a machine press work?
“The main challenge was to reproduce the control logic for the production process, i.e. to train the system to manufacture a part on machine A, transport it to machine B and mount it there. Until now, the ‚Second Life’ platform has provided no support for this,” says Mr. Seitz. The researchers have developed a modular system which also allows any other product to be made.
Industrial companies as well as private persons can use the building blocks to set up their own virtual factories. The researchers have even integrated a speech recognition system, so the machines and robots can also be controlled by telephone.
Contact:
Fraunhofer-Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA) Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter Unternehmenslogistik
Nobelstr. 12
D-70 569 Stuttgart
http://www.ipa.fhg.de/index.php?id=750
Tel:+49 (0)711-970-1909
Fax:+49 (0)711-970-1927
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Stefan Seitz
e-mail: stefan.seitz@ipa.fraunhofer.de
Dipl.-Betrw. (BA) Silvia Körber
e-mail: silvia.koerber@ipa.fraunhofer.de