As early as the 1990s, aerospace companies leveraged the value of PowerWall projection systems in their engineering cycles. In those early years, high-resolution advanced visualization found a home in companies’ advanced development programs. These programs, like Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Boeing’s Phantom Works, often focused on secret military projects, including development of stealth aircraft such as the U2 spy plane, SR-71 Blackbird, and F-117 Nighthawk.
In more recent years, PowerWalls have been used in both commercial airplane development, as well as military projects. Development of aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles can all be streamlined through the use of PowerWalls. Today, these companies use large scale display technology to enhance collaboration, isolate data, and shorten the development cycle.
While the automotive industry uses PowerWalls and advanced visualization for both design and engineering, the aerospace industry’s use of the technology places particular emphasis on the engineering process. All major aerospace companies use some form of a PowerWall in their engineering cycles, whether it’s a smaller 12-foot wall or a larger 23-foot wall.
These displays facilitate collaboration between individual groups who focus on specific areas of aircraft development, such as electronic routing, flight controls, mechanical systems, or structures. These groups tend to be very large, with many tasks to accomplish, so anytime they can collaborate it helps optimize aircraft engineering and shorten the development cycle. Specifically, group members can test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design.
In many ways, modern aerospace organizations are integrators of technologies developed by other companies. That’s why many aerospace companies also use display technology externally to collaborate with vendors and optimize technologies. The large-scale, high-resolution PowerWalls help these companies evaluate many different scenarios, such as how a collision would affect the parts. For example, they may analyze how navigation development by Company X interacts with engines from Company Y.
During this collaboration process, PowerWalls also allow companies to isolate proprietary data for each component, so as not to reveal anything confidential.
If you’re looking to increase collaboration with a PowerWall, or upgrade an outdated system, it helps to work with a skilled AV integrator. IGI is an industry leader in the complete integration of ultra-high-resolution advanced visualization systems, including PowerWalls, CAVEs, and Virtual Reality.
Our expert team of Designers, Engineers, and Technicians leverage extensive industry experience and leading-edge technology to provide high-performance audio visual solutions. We boast 20 years’ experience in the advanced visualization industry, managing all levels of AV integration projects.
Contact us to learn more about how your organization can integrate advanced visualization systems into the engineering process.
