Compile/VR Gyro
Earlier this month, West Japan Passenger Railway announced plans to build future railway projects using a VR-powered giant robot consisting of railway construction vehicles and heavy robots.
Image source: JR West
According to Mynavi, the mechanism was developed in collaboration with Nippon Signal, a West Japan passenger rail and rail signaling technology company, as a way to increase productivity while improving workplace safety.
West Japan Passenger Railway said that the use of VR robots will reduce on-site accidents, such as electric shocks, crashes and so on. The operator sits in the cab and wears the HP Reverb G2 headset to observe the construction from a robot perspective and is equipped with a large operator panel to operate the robotic arm. Allegedly, the operator will be able to feel the weight of the object while working.
Currently, the West Japan Passenger Railway is testing VR robots and is expected to be operational in the spring of 2024. The VR robot could theoretically be used for power lines, demolition, roof and high-rise building work, and the operation of various other high-risk scenarios.
Source: VRScout