Approach and development of an innovative tool for integration of immersive devices in virtual manufacturing environments: Immersive Integrator

In order to enhance the classically process of connecting devices to virtual reality applications the device integration tool Immersive Integrator is developed in the scope of the DiFac (Digital Factory Human Oriented Production System) project by Fraunhofer IPA. The article presents the method of modelling used for the Immersive Integrator based on task composition taxonomies. Afterwards it describes the architecture and the fundamental concepts of the Immersive Integrator system. The tool is designed like a virtual patchfield, which facilitates the easy integration of devices to virtual reality applications and a dynamic exchange of devices for specific tasks. The application is used and validated in the other digital activities of the DiFac project.