A new cloud-based, digital reality visualization platform in the Hexagon AB booth turned heads at the Consumer Electronics (CES) megashow in Las Vegas in early January. HxDR creates accurate digital representations of the real world through the seamless combination of reality-capture data from airborne, ground and mobile sensors.
“We’re uniquely positioned to deliver this innovative platform due to the vast library of data captured from our sensor and visualization services portfolio,” said Ola Rollen, Hexagon President and CEO. “Moving forward, we anticipate HxDR will play a critical role in the formation of smart-city and smart-nation platforms that will increasingly reflect the needs of citizens today and in the future.”
Platform users can view their design models of buildings or objects in the context of the real world by placing them within the platform’s collection of accurate 3D maps of cities, towns and landscapes. Users can also view designs within their own 3D maps by uploading their reality-capture environments to the platform.
The platform’s advanced visualization technology is specifically designed to help industry professionals such as architects, builders, city planners, game designers and VFX producers.
“HxDR enables customers to create their own Smart Digital Realities, addressing the growing need for simple-to-create yet highly sophisticated and accurate visualizations of reality capture data that boost project efficiencies and cost savings,” said Rollen.
Hexagon is now taking applications for beta testers at its new HxDR website. Use cases listed there include architecture, engineering and construction; media and entertainment; real estate and city planning. As the technology evolves, the Hexagon team plans to explore additional potential use cases in the future, among them autonomous air and vehicle applications.
AUTONOMY AND POSITIONING
The company also brought its vision of the autonomous future for infrastructure, vehicle mobility and manufacturing to CES.
Michael Ritter, President Hexagon Autonomy & Positioning, said, “We’re here to showcase what’s possible in the future. We’re excited to show solutions that people will use in the mainstream one day.”
The Hexagon showcase emphasized three areas of focus: autonomous vehicle development, flexible and powerful sensor suites and research on specific components.
Hexagon highlighted its extensive portfolio of Smart Autonomous Mobility solutions. Demonstrations, conducted by the Safety Critical Systems team, included real-time protection level output, advanced sensor fusion positioning techniques, and rapid converging, lane-level accuracy.
Specifically, the company announced the launch of a software positioning module developed by Hexagon and Valeo, a global automotive supplier, that uses broadcast corrections to achieve precise positioning. The software positioning engine is customizable to accept measurements from a variety of GNSS automotive grade chipsets and sensors, fusing them with input from Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and vehicle odometry to produce an accurate absolute position, velocity and attitude solution for vehicle or feature control. As well, Hexagon’s TerraStar X correction technology is used to deliver centimeter-level accuracy in under a minute.
According to the company, combining the software positioning engine with the fast converging TerraStar X correction technology, will deliver an up to 70 percent improvement in accuracy over industry standard chipsets.
Karl Bangert, Marketing Segment Manager, Automotive at NovAtel, said, “We’re enabling the pieces of the autonomy puzzle with a focus on making Level 3 and above autonomy a reality and one that is designed to deliver safe autonomous operation.”
