ÿþ<html> <head> <title>The Virtual Factory: an FXPAL and TCHO Chocolate collaboration</title> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=darkblue vlink=darkblue> <table> <tr> <td width=400 cellpadding=15 cellspacing=20 valign=top align=center bgcolor=#EE9900> <P> <img src=FactoryWorld_3_sm.jpg width=400 align=center> <font face=verdana,helvetica>&nbsp; <P> <b> The Virtual Factory: a research collaboration </b> <P> <font size=-1 face=verdana,helvetica align=left> FX Palo Alto Laboratory and TCHO Inc, a chocolate maker in San Francisco, explore emerging technologies for industry in TCHO's real-world factory in San Francisco.<P> &nbsp; <P> </font> <img src=iphone-43screens-sm.jpg width=400 align=center> <img src=choco-tanlogo-sm.jpg width=400 align=center> </td> <p> <td valign=top width = 15> </td> <td valign=center width = 450 cellpadding = 20 cellspacing=20> <font face=verdana,helvetica> <H2> The Virtual Chocolate Factory </H2><P> <font size=-1 face=verdana,helvetica> The FX Palo Alto Laboratory in Palo Alto, California (FXPAL) is investigating virtual and mixed-reality systems for collaboration, particularly in industrial settings. In collaboration with TCHO, a chocolate maker start-up in San Francisco, we are building virtual mirror world representations of a real-world chocolate factory and its processes, and importing real-time sensor data into the resulting virtual factory (see Figure 1). This 3D environment is designed for simulation, visualization, and collaboration, using a set of interlinked, real-time 3D and 2D layers of information about the TCHO chocolate factory and its processes. <P> In this 3D environment, users can view real-time high-definition video streaming from a number of camera viewpoints in the factory, click on a machine to read its status, or move an avatar closer to trigger an in-world video overview of its function. The virtual environment imports real-time data from a network of sensors on the factory floor and displays it when appropriate in the virtual world. The system will be able to track processes in detail over extended time periods and play them back on request.<P> The virtual factory is also multi-user, allowing remote collaboration and communication. The environment enables collaborative tasks such as factory observation, virtual inspections, customer visits, employee education and training, process monitoring, and inventory tracking; and is interlinked with a mobile application on the iPhone for remote control/monitoring. FXPAL sees this mashup of real and virtual factories as a way to enhance collaboration and communication between physical-plant operators and engineers and remote managers; for example, factories in China with managers in Japan.<P> For more information, contact Maribeth Back at back@fxpal.com.<P> <p> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>