Siemens & Sony partner to revolutionise engineering with XR tech

Siemens and Sony Corporation have announced a strategic partnership to create a new system that will revolutionise engineers' work. The Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software will be merged with Sony's innovative XR head-mounted display (HMD), SRH-S1, which was designed using Siemens' NX software.

The announcement was made at Realize LIVE in Las Vegas by Seiya Amatatsu, Head of Sony's XR Technology Development Division. Discussing their partnership, he explained how Siemens' NX software has been crucial for his team in developing the new HMD. Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio served as Sony's primary product engineering software since 2015.

Amatatsu said, "Sony succeeded in implementing NX in the fastest schedule in the world and we were able to improve our design process productivity by 25%. Although significant advancements have been made with NX, I wanted to achieve further evolution with a product that brings innovations, allowing direct editing in an immersive environment."

The result is Sony's SRH-S1 HMD, a gear comprising high-quality 4K OLED Microdisplays and controllers for organic interaction with 3D affordances. "The XR head-mounted display was developed that could bring innovative products to market more rapidly," Amatatsu added.

A core feature of the forthcoming NX immersive designer, Sony's XR HMD unites two industry players to facilitate cutting-edge design and cooperative product engineering capabilities. Hirohito Kondo of Sony's XR Business Development Division, Product Management Department elaborated, "Our head-mounted display and dedicated controllers enable you to create more intuitively in a fully immersive environment, moving freely between the virtual and real worlds."

Emphasising the HMD's potential, Kondo explained that it allows real-time collaboration with global colleagues, promoting innovation. He elaborated on the significance: "The tight integration of the hardware and software gives designers and engineers all new, incredibly natural ways to interact with the Digital Twin. This is about doing meaningful hands-on engineering."

Siemens NX Immersive Designer is set for the market launch in late 2024. The Siemens-Sony partnership represents a significant step forward in the realm of immersive design and collaborative engineering. By integrating Siemens' expertise in software solutions with Sony's innovative XR technology, the resulting immersive designer system holds promise for revolutionising how engineers work and interact with digital twins.

With its potential to facilitate intuitive design processes and real-time global collaboration, the system is poised to empower industries across various sectors to drive innovation and accelerate product development. As the market eagerly anticipates the launch of the NX Immersive Designer later in 2024, the partnership sets a new standard for digital transformation, offering a glimpse into the future of design and engineering.