Virtual reality is the next disruptive technology making its way into the material handling industry.

As an early adopter in the material handling industry, Bastian Solutions showcased its passion and commitment to virtual reality innovation at ProMat 2017. At the show, Bastian Solutions transported users to a 600,000 square foot distribution center all within a 10-foot by 10-foot space on a bustling tradeshow floor to show attendees how virtual reality could be used to visualize a material handling system design.

So what is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is a rich medium for visual graphics and immersion. As a form of escapism, virtual reality is booming in the gaming sector. There are hundreds of games available and several hardware manufacturers competing in the marketplace for the most immersive user experiences. Aside from the entertaining aspect of VR, what is a material handling integrator doing with it?

Virtual Reality for Material Handling

The hardware our team uses, the HTC Vive, is the most accurate full body virtual reality system on the market now. The Vive streams 3-d graphics into the headset, surrounding your entire field of view. The Vive also uses two light boxes that track your controllers and headset and sync your physical movements to changes in the game environment. Taking a step in reality is taking a step in the game. Moving your head up and down, left and right immediately alters the VR display. As your physical movements match what you are seeing, your mind feels present in the VR world. When Bastian Solutions noticed the trend in virtual reality, we realized an opportunity to better serve customers by taking the complex plans for a material handling system:

And converting them into an immersive user experience anyone can understand:

Bastian VR

Expressing a complex idea with a clear visual has long been a critical part of the sales cycle. Submerging clients into their multi-million dollar system before a single brick is laid is Bastian Solutions’ next level of customer engagement. The level of detail Bastian VR provides creates a forum of engagement like no other medium before it. The goal of Bastian VR is to provide customers with an immersive perspective on their system, leading to a clearer understanding of their project’s scope.

Bastian VR, seeing is believing.

Author: Stephany Cardinali