Augmented Reality Center

In Southeast Michigan, many industrial companies experience an urgent need to understand the Augmented Reality segment of Industry 4.0 and how to use these technologies to remain globally competitive. By helping our students and the local workforce become knowledgeable leaders in AR, Oakland University is providing skills that will enable our region to gain a competitive edge in attracting global AR/VR technology companies to our community.

OU is strategically positioned to be the ideal leader in this workforce space. We have a successful track record in similar public/private partnerships. OU is geographically located in the heart of southeast Michigan’s automotive, defense and health care sectors – some of the largest future users of AR technology.

Some of the areas for industrial applications where ARC will be focusing on:

• Scalable hardware for AR implementation on smartphones, tablets, hands-free transparent and head-mounted displays, smart glasses, etc.
• Application portability for cross-platform experience by using open interfaces to simplify AR/VR software development.
• Digital twin providing a virtual model and enabling X-ray vision to revealing internal features.
• Adaptive visual guidance with environment contextualization providing step-by-step instructions in real time for tasks such as product assembly or machine operation.
• Real-time monitoring of machines or processes by superimposing diagnostic data on real world objects.
• Design assistance by superimposed 3D models on the physical world as holograms to evaluate and improve designs.
• Enhanced customer experience by visualizing how products will look or function in a real setting.
• Rapid content development for AR application using gaming engines to simplify the development process and create visually appealing content.
• Virtual collaborative environment for cloud hosted multi-user and multi-platform experience.
• Smart AR using AI and machine learning algorithms for object recognition.

In collaboration with

College for Creative Studies 

The College for Creative Studies is one of the nation's leading art and design colleges. An academic partner to the Augmented Reality Center, CCS enrolls more than 1,400 students and focuses on arts education. The College educates visual artists and designers, knowledgeable in varied fields, who will be leaders in creative professions that shape society and advance economic growth.

Our Partners

Unreal Engine (Epic Games)

Epic Games’ Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D tool. Creators across games, film, television, architecture, automotive and transportation, advertising, live events, and training and simulation choose Unreal to deliver cutting-edge content, interactive experiences, and immersive virtual worlds. Unreal Engine’s code is source-available and is written in C++.  It features a high degree of portability and is a tool used by many developers today in a variety of other genres.  In 2014, Unreal Engine was named the "most successful videogame engine" by Guinness World Records.  It has a complete feature set of graphical rendering, sound processing, and physics that can be widely adapted to fit the specific needs of an application. Epic Games is looking for applications for Unreal Engine beyond gaming.  Currently, the Unreal Engine has been tested in the defense sector and in the agricultural sector.  They are looking at how to bring this powerful platform to the industrial/manufacturing sector.  OU can be the place where the Augmented Reality Center is focused on using it as a platform for industrial AR applications. 

ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation

ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation is a pioneer in robotics, machine automation and digital services, providing innovative solutions for a diverse range of industries, from automotive to electronics to logistics. As one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation suppliers, the company has shipped more than 500,000 robot solutions, helping customers of all sizes to increase productivity, flexibility and simplicity and to improve output quality. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation, which employs more than 11,000 people at over 100 locations in 53 + countries, supports their clients' transition towards the connected and collaborative factory of the future.

AM General

AM General LLC, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide. Through their military business, AM General is widely recognized as the world leader in design, engineering, manufacturing and logistics support of Tactical Vehicles, having produced and sustained more than 300,000 vehicles in over 70 countries.  Located in Auburn Hills, MI, AM General’s Technology and Engineering Center provides the full range of engineering and support services for vehicle and platform development and sustainment, including the iconic HUMVEE military vehicles.

Continental Automotive

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2019, Continental generated sales of €44.5 billion and currently employs more than 233,000 people in 59 countries and markets. In 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.

General Motors

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, with employees around the world, General Motors is a company with global scale and capabilities. GM’s Vision is a World With Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. Our diverse team of 164,000 employees brings their collective passion for engineering, technology and design to deliver on this ambitious future. And the bold commitments we’ve made are moving us closer to realizing this vision.

Granstudio

Granstudio is mobility design consultancy based in Turin and Kortrijk. A team of 60 designers, engineers and mobility experts work on a wide variety of projects within the full mobility ecosystem. The studio is commissioned by automotive companies to design future-proof (car) ideas and develop them into production-ready designs. It defines new mobility services and future urban mobility strategies. All projects share the focus of creating the right synergy between human desires and contextual needs. Granstudio developed the DigiPHY, a mixed reality visualization tool for car (HMI) design and development. The DigiPHY is driven by the Unreal game engine and is used for layout and packaging, design and HMI development. The DigiPHY is a reflection of the gigantic digital shift that is now happening in mobility.

Ground Vehicle Systems Center

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), located at Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, is the nation's laboratory for advanced military automotive technology. The mission of the United States Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) is to develop, integrate, demonstrate, and sustain ground vehicle systems capabilities to support Army modernization priorities and improve readiness. GVSC, located in Warren, Michigan, is the United States Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. It is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.  GVSC shares its facilities with the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC)

Hirotec

HIROTEC is a global tier-one automotive industry leader specializing in the production of body-in-white closures, exhaust systems, and closure manufacturing equipment. A leading company in the industrial/manufacturing space that can benefit from the use of AR/VR based applications to transform their business and those of their customers worldwide. The company’s values of Sincerity, Modesty, and Progress are attributes that will align nicely with the ARC.

KUKA

KUKA is a global automation corporation with around 14,000 employees worldwide. As a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions, KUKA offers its customers everything from a single source:from robots and cells to fully automated systems and their networking in markets such as automotive, electronics, general industry, consumer goods, e-commerce/retail and healthcare. The company has grown from its roots in 1898 to become one of the world’s leading automation specialists, playing a central role in the implementation of intelligent automation. Industry 4.0 is bringing the digital connectivity of production, flexible manufacturing concepts and new business models to the forefront. Through decades of experience in automation, deep process expertise and digital services, KUKA gives its customers a head start and supports them with optimizing value creation.

Magna International

We are a mobility technology company. We have over 157,000 entrepreneurial-minded employees, 344 manufacturing operations and 93 product development, engineering and sales centers in 27 countries. We have complete vehicle engineering and contract manufacturing expertise, as well as product capabilities that include body, chassis, exteriors, seating, powertrain, active driver assistance, electronics, mechatronics, mirrors, lighting and roof systems. Our common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MG) and the New York Stock Exchange (MGA).

Mahle

Go further, faster and be #StrongerTogether! We are more successful together. This is why you have the opportunity to become a star in our team. Our passion makes us a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. Our product portfolio addresses all crucial issues related to powertrain and air conditioning technology – both for e-mobility and vehicles with combustion engines. Today, more than 79,000 employees work on innovative products throughout 160 production locations and 16 major development centers. Our goal is to shape the mobility of tomorrow – let’s be #StrongerTogether.

NVIDIA

Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics and ignited the era of modern AI. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping industry. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com

RAVE Computers

RAVE is expert in multi-vendor computer hardware integration, including solutions related to modeling, simulation, visualization and immersion. We specialize in providing optimized purpose-built computers.  Applications we support include but not limited to rendering, HPC, AR/VR/MR environments, data analysis, engineering, training and simulation, architecture, media and entertainment.

Siemens

Siemens is a global innovator focusing on digitalization, electrification and automation for the process and manufacturing industries, and is a leader in power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure, and distributed energy systems. More than 173 years ago, Siemens was founded on a powerful idea: A company should not only focus on maximizing profits. It should also serve society – with technologies and products, with its employment practices, with everything that it does.  This idea is still alive today. Serving society while doing successful and sustainable business is at the heart of Siemens’s strategy. “It’s our company’s ultimate purpose.”

Vectorform

Vectorform is a digital transformation and innovation company. Our work helps companies define the future and solve complex problems to get there. Vectorform’s partnerships with immersive technology industry leaders, advance access to new platforms and tools, and proven production processes enables us to create robust enterprise experiences at higher velocity. Our in-house team of designers, production artists, and engineers are skilled and proven at creating exceptional interactive experiences for the world’s biggest companies and brands.

For more information, please contact Anthony Gallina

Oakland University

Khalid Mirza, Ph.D.
ARC Founding Director

Deborah Kiefer
ARC Project Manager

Anthony Gallina
Director of Corporate Relations
School of Engineering and Computer Science

Chloe Zhu
ARC Graduate Assistant

Peyton Skwarczynski
ARC Undergraduate Assistant

College for Creative Studies

Chase Holton
Academic Consultant

Shannon McPartlon
Sr. Director of Partnerships
College for Creative Studies

Mahmoud Alsaid
Graduate Assistant