Advancement and Enhanced Integration of Digital Technology Systems, VR Applications, CPS-Systems and Tools for Design Engineering

The purpose of this VES panel is to encourage discussion and exchange of views about current and new trends for Virtual and Immersive/Blended Systems and the transference of knowledge over multiple domains. As the market and/or industrial interest in virtual environments increase, new technologies and techniques are proposed. In recent years we have observed a trend on the use of low-cost devices, sometimes taken from the gaming industry in industrial applications. Furthermore, companies are investing billions into making immersive virtual worlds and augmented reality widely available to mainstream public in mass quantities (i.e., especially for “gamer” consumers, but also a wide range of other applications). We have also seen a trend in customization. Nowadays, thanks to the availability of 3-D AM technologies as well as open-source electronic prototyping platform, custom interfaces can be easily designed and build. In addition to the above, we have observed a shift of interest from Virtual Environment to Mixed ones, sometimes called Augmented, sometimes named “Blended.” As the number of applications increases, new challenges are presented to the scientific community. The various issues and topics will be presented and discussed by the panel.