Many sectors of the economy have slowed down or have at least limited operations since March, but national defense often can’t wait. Unstable times create opportunities for international peers and may create desperation in poorer nations. National security objectives have decades-long ramifications, and the work of our public/private defense engineers will directly affect the ability of soldiers to do their jobs safely. Further, Alabama has the third highest reliance on defense spending for its GDP (5.9%). Much of that, occurs around Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park in Huntsville. As some companies learn to adapt, others are already well-adapted to the unforeseen priority COVID-19 has placed on physical distance, as well as significant challenges to the aerospace and defense sector, ranging from accommodating tele-working employees to reduced demand for commercial products. Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and now Mixed Reality, collectively known as Extended Reality (XR) are not just for games or even wargames anymore. These capabilities allow engineers and scientists to effectively collaborate in today’s distributed working environment, providing additional features and benefits compared to Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing.
The notion of applying XR technology to aerospace and engineering processes is not new, but its reach has greatly expanded over the last 20 years. From gaming to flight simulators, wargames, and now the auto-industry and medical field, XR is being used to train critical professionals and create critical products. Firms who have already invested may use it more heavily, but the specialized labor force, computing infrastructure, and work processes have to be built over years. Of course, now the spotlight is on the ability of XR to help those in the aerospace and defense industry to physically distance while still maintaining productivity in this high-stakes field.
“The aerospace industry as a whole had not provided a lot of opportunity for tele-working until March 2020.” said Dr. William Marx, Chief Technology Officer at Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE). “Now, with a largely distributed and tele-working workforce, companies and customers have adapted and found new ways of doing business, from collaborating on complex system designs to software configuration management, all done remotely.” INTUITIVE is an aerospace engineering and analysis firm for commercial and government customers with systems, software, computer, mechanical, electrical, and digital engineering expertise. The leading digital narrative emerging from the current pandemic has been the rise of virtual telework and video conferencing as a reliable mode for performing services. For INTUITIVE, the recent necessity of virtual collaboration was a case of preparation meeting opportunity. For the last several years, the company has invested in Extended Reality—developing digital environments where multiplayer collaboration can take place in real time. INTUITIVE’s expertise allows them to adapt and expand their virtual and augmented capabilities to meet the novel needs of their customers. Of course, all companies have faced some challenges in managing remote personnel. Marx notes that trust and long-term relationships are important for INTUITIVE, so keeping a sense of closeness has required extra effort. Getting the job done, however, hasn’t particularly suffered, in part because of XR.
Team Composition
Large parts of engineering problems are solved virtually when possible as a matter of efficiency and effectiveness. Work has not all suddenly moved online at the behest of COVID-19. A firm must have already been in a position to have an uninterrupted workflow. It takes years to assemble a team that can develop digital engineering environments where multiplayer collaboration can take place in real time. “Our key personnel in the XR domain represent a cross-functional team with a diverse set of technical backgrounds, including multi-disciplinary engineers—software, computer, systems, electrical, and digital—analysts, game developers, and digital artists,” said Marx. “These staff are trained in all aspects of Agile software development and software engineering.” Constant education in the latest modeling and gaming engine software packages, and even the commercial off-the-shelf gaming industry is part of business now, and it doesn’t happen overnight. “Finally, the XR team must be proficient in multiple software and scripting languages, allowing them to easily create, update, and interface XR models with engineering Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools,” said Marx. This provides a seamless transition our system designs to progress and mature throughout their life cycle.
The Jobs for XR
XR makes complex data structures, patterns, and trends take form and become more comprehensible. According to Marx, the domain areas that have benefited from XR data visualization include next generation nuclear energy reactors, auto-segmentation for medical imagery, and myriad defense systems simulations. XR systems and tools provide a direct benefit to design, development, and integration phases. He said:
Used in a single- or multi-player mode, our XR packages provide direct benefits during formal DoD milestone reviews, allowing customers to “experience” designs, and better understand complex integration, before hardware is purchased and before systems are built. The use of XR systems in this manner provide benefits for cost efficiency, allowing stakeholders to more easily understand designs and system integration concepts. They also provide a value proposition in the area of cost avoidance – by allowing customers to visualize, experience, and even operate designs before systems are built allows customers to ensure their decisions and approvals are for the right systems that fully meet customer performance and operational requirements.
XR for Customer Satisfaction: More Than a Feeling
At INTUITIVE, as with many others in the industry, projects typically include integration of technology into existing aviation and missile systems. Close customer relationships are more than just good manners. Collaborative environments using XR media can provide an additional level of immersion for meetings, demonstrations, and discussions of complex systems and data structures. Marx said, “We use multiple media and digital methods to capture, store, host, analyze, visualize, and communicate results to customers, partners, and stakeholders. Coupled with cloud solutions for data storage and access, our XR systems provide communicative and analytical advantages over phone calls, e-mail, and Teams video conferencing.”
Cybersecurity
In an industry that has not embraced telework, security concerns are paramount. Fortunately, employees well versed in DoD protocol do not make critical mistakes that would compromise secure information. “I’d say it’s a continued responsibility to operate within the guidelines and standards for data protection, information assurance, and cyber security. Before the pandemic, we were responsible for providing multiple levels of protection to do business in the Aerospace Industry. Those same requirements are still in place today, and now we have to ensure that our teleworking processes, protocols, hardware, and software systems meet those same requirements,” said Marx. Companies will have to make corporate investments to maintain appropriate protection of customers’ data and information.
On Site Only When It Counts
Despite all of the advancements that make remote work practical, it is important for companies to recognize aspects of a project that require on-site personnel. “Rapid turnaround projects will benefit from on-site engineering support during system integration,” said Marx. Close relationships between programmatic, engineering, and integration teams limits the number of personnel and hours spent—prior to COVID-19 that was a financial concern, and now it is also a health concern. “Carefully managed risk of on-site personnel for strategic parts of a job allows critical projects to continue on schedule, to continue to meet the needs of today’s warfighter.”
Twenty years ago, when INTUITIVE and many other Huntsville stalwarts were just getting started, COVID-19 could have immobilized the close-working Cummings Research Park Area. Fortunately, XR has helped the industry navigate the challenges.
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