APPLICATION OF VR TECHNOLOGY IN THE AIRCRAFT CABIN DESIGN PROCESS

Abstract

This paper addresses the issues currently present in the aircraft cabin design process. It focuses on making the design process more time and cost efficient, while altogether involving the end-users (passengers and cabin crew) in the development process in its earliest stages. By understanding the underlying issues and the reasons the cabin is developed according to the current approach, new methods are established and adapted to suit the needs of such a complex process as aircraft cabin design. In this paper, a preposition is made that Virtual Reality is the key technology for achieving both goals: shortening the initial cabin design process (from sketch to concept design), and including the end-users and their direct wishes and ideas into the ideation phase. Through cooperation with an external design agency, a Virtual Reality tool is implemented and tested to ensure the theory behind the design methodology can also be put into practice.