Using Virtual Reality to Design Better, Safer Products

Lockheed Martin is home to one of the largest virtual reality (VR) laboratories of its kind in the world – the Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL) in Denver – where Lockheed Martin product-design and manufacturing teams test and validate products and manufacturing processes virtually before ever physically building a thing. 

Their goal? Reduce operator fatigue and discomfort, while maximizing safety and productivity. 

CHIL teams use VR headsets, handheld controllers and body trackers to perform real-time ergonomics studies on people in a virtual-build environment. This commercially available gaming equipment provides more accurate and realistic simulations than the modeling software and computer-simulated avatars the teams previously used. In addition to the useful feedback from people physically performing movements in a virtual environment, the VR solution can be quickly and cost-effectively streamlined and scaled. Using the tools developed at the CHIL, we’re saving more than $10M a year by catching issues early.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin’s commitment to innovative product design, please view the company’s annual sustainability report: sustainability.lockheedmartin.com. 

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.