Using augmented reality and interactive simulations to realize hybrid prototypes

Abstract

Engineers and designers of various product development fields show an increasing interest in rapid prototyping techniques to help them optimize the design process of their products. In this work we present an Augmented Reality (AR) application with a model size water turbine in order to demonstrate how rapid prototyping with a hybrid prototype, simulation data of water flow characteristics and an optical AR tool can be realized. The application integrates interactive simulation, a tangible user interface and several interaction concepts for 3D CFD. Due to the intuitive and automated workflow as well as seamless process iterations, the application is easy to use by users without expert knowledge in the field of parallel simulations. Our approach points out the main benefit and problems of AR in rapid prototyping and thus provides an informative basis for future research and optimizations to offer a seamless and automated workflow. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008.