Fraunhofer IAO, Stuttgart

An Immersive Engineering Lab in the truest sense

The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) in Stuttgart, Germany, has been carrying out high-level research and consulting projects for over 20 years. To encourage the productivity and creativity of its engineers and researchers, the institute recently established its Center for Virtual Engineering (ZVE) - a brand-new building featuring offices, demo centers and seven laboratories. Inaugurated in mid-2012, the center sets new standards in many ways: an eye-catching architecture, a future-oriented interior, exceptional attention to sustainability and cutting-edge technology.

At the heart of the Immersive Engineering Lab is Barco technology. Audiovisual expert davit installed a high-resolution 3D projection system with a 5.5-meter-long and 3.4-meter-high CADWall and a four-wall I-Space system, powered by 11 Barco Galaxy NW-12 projectors. A huge variety of different media streams can be controlled from a master control unit, which also functions as a facilitation tool for discussions. To stir interaction, the latest technologies are used, such as multi-touch displays, gesture control by the A.R.T tracking system with 12 cameras, and 3D real-time positioning systems.

The incredible resolution of Barco's display systems allows of truly realistic, detailed, accurately rendered real-time visualization and promotes true collaboration ‒ just what the Fraunhofer scientists need to lift their research projects to a higher level.