We’ve been at Brau Beviale in Germany this month to discover how virtual reality – computer generated 3D simulation of an environment - is being used.
Natural ingredient company Döhler is using virtual reality to help clients explore how flavors will taste when consumed in a real life situation – perhaps a bar, party, or outside - rather than in a static laboratory environment.
At Brau Beviale it invited visitors to try a herb soda within the busy, bustling trade show environment; and then repeat the taste test through the virtual reality experience.
In this second tasting, a headset shows viewers a beautiful vista of the German Alps; while the headphones play the sound of birds tweeting.
“When you are on holiday and you buy a wine, then buy it home, the wine tastes different,” observes Olaf Biedekarken, head of sensory and consumer science at Döhler.
“The effect is you are now not on holiday, you are stressed. What happens to the wine? It tastes different.
“Consumer research happens in a classroom: but you’re testing a product for a party. I say: 'This is not reality'”
“Normally consumer research takes part in a classroom… but they are asked to test a product for a party… and I say: This is not reality.”
Meanwhile, packaging line specialist Gebo Cermex demonstrated how virtual reality has an important role to play in the ‘factory of the future’.
Using virtual reality, it is possible to accurately simulate daily operations in a production plant, and therefore develop and test new production models. It can also be used to train new operators.
“Virtual reality is used as a tool to develop new concepts and to verify feasibility,” explains Jean-Claude Waeldin, project manager of advanced production systems at Gebo Cermex.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality offers a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment, that people can interact with in a seemingly real or physical way thanks to special electronic equipment, such as a virtual reality headset.
Nescafe and Google have created a virtual reality coffee experience, which lets viewers see coffee fields in Brazil via a mobile phone app and Google viewer.
Goose Island beer is running a virtual reality experience in Tesco supermarkets to transport shoppers to where it grows its hops in the Northern Idaho Valley.
And Coca-Cola has designed secondary cardboard packaging that can be turned into smartphone virtual reality viewers.
But virtual reality could go even further than this in the future. Los Angeles-based start-up Project Nourished sees the chance to use virtual reality with food in all sorts of situations – even investigating whether it’s possible to enjoy a meal without eating a thing.
Brau Beviale ni tukio la kipekee la Ujerumani ambalo linaonyesha jinsi hali halisi ya 3D ya mazingira inavyotengenezwa na kompyuta. Kampuni ya viungo vya asili ya Döhler inatumia hali halisi ya kweli kusaidia wateja kugundua jinsi ladha itakavyokuwa wakati wa kula katika hali halisi ya maisha - labda baa, chama, au nje - badala ya katika mazingira ya maabara ya static. Katika Brau Beviale, ilikaribisha wageni kujaribu soda ya mimea ndani ya mazingira ya maonyesho ya biashara yenye shughuli nyingi; na kisha kurudia jaribio la ladha kupitia uzoefu wa hali halisi. Katika tasting hii ya pili, headset inaonyesha watazamaji mtazamo mzuri wa Alps ya Ujerumani; wakati headphones kucheza sauti ya ndege tweeting. "Wakati wewe ni katika likizo na kununua mvinyo, kisha kununua nyumbani, mvinyo ladha tofauti, "anasema Olaf Biedekarken, mkuu wa sensory na watumiaji sayansi katika Döhler." <unk>Tokeo ni kwamba sasa wewe si likizo, wewe ni alisisitiza. Divai inakuwaje? Ladha yake ni tofauti. <unk>Utafiti wa watumiaji hutokea katika darasa: lakini wewe <unk>ni kujaribu bidhaa kwa ajili ya chama. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Utafiti wa watumiaji hufanyika katika darasa, lakini wanaulizwa kujaribu bidhaa kwa ajili ya chama, na mimi nasema: Hii si ukweli."" Wakati huo huo, mtaalamu wa mstari wa ufungaji Gebo Cermex alionyesha jinsi hali halisi ya kweli ina jukumu muhimu katika ""kiwanda cha siku zijazo.""" Kutumia hali halisi, inawezekana kuiga kwa usahihi shughuli za kila siku katika kiwanda cha uzalishaji, na kwa hivyo kuendeleza na kujaribu mifano mpya ya uzalishaji. Inaweza pia kutumika kufundisha waendeshaji wapya. "Uhalisi wa kweli hutumiwa kama chombo cha kuendeleza dhana mpya na kuthibitisha uwezekano", anaelezea Jean-Claude Waeldin, meneja wa mradi wa mifumo ya uzalishaji wa hali ya juu katika Gebo Cermex. Uhalisi wa kweli ni nini? Virtual Reality ni simulation ya kompyuta ya picha ya tatu-dimensional au mazingira, ambayo watu wanaweza kuingiliana na kwa njia ya kuonekana halisi au kimwili shukrani kwa vifaa maalum vya elektroniki, kama vile virtual reality headset. Google na Nescafe wametengeneza uzoefu wa kahawa wa hali halisi, ambao unaruhusu watazamaji kuona mashamba ya kahawa nchini Brazil kupitia programu ya simu ya mkononi na mtazamaji wa Google. Bia ya Goose Island inaendesha uzoefu wa hali halisi katika maduka makubwa ya Tesco kusafirisha wanunuzi kwa mahali ambapo hukua hops zake katika Bonde la Kaskazini la Idaho. Coca-Cola imebuni kifurushi cha kadi cha pili ambacho kinaweza kubadilishwa kuwa watazamaji wa hali halisi wa simu mahiri. Lakini hali halisi ya virtual inaweza kwenda hata zaidi ya hii katika siku zijazo. Kampuni ya kuanza ya Los Angeles Project Nourished inaona nafasi ya kutumia hali halisi ya kweli na chakula katika hali za aina zote - hata kuchunguza ikiwa inawezekana kufurahia chakula bila kula kitu.