Using video beyond Zoom for virtual prototype and product design reviews
Like most companies, Fusion Design has half of our workforce working from home and half at the office and we want to share our approach to the collaborative nature of this split workforce. We have workers doing the “building” at work with access to our equipment (3D printers, machine shop, etc.) and we have workers doing the design at home (Designers @ Home, Makers @ the office).
We have expanded our video beyond the typical Zoom meeting to bring these groups together as they do collaborative work such as early prototyping and design reviews.
Heavily leveraging tools like Beam, a telepresence mobile device, and video on phones, we run at least two video presence software programs simultaneously. One is Microsoft Teams running on a phone and Beam, the telepresence robot’s software program. A third can be Zoom to invite customers to the meeting if they are not able join via the first two. Typically, the smaller devices are used for close up device / mechanism review since we can move them almost on top of the area of interest. We use various adjustable support stands to place and translate the discrete devices.
Different types of meetings often use different types of device configurations.
Prototype Review and Debug:
In the office
BEAM (driven by remote designer)
Phone on a mobile cart signed into a TEAMs video meeting
Remote designer
Drives the BEAM and joins a TEAM video meeting at the same time
Uses PC with 2 monitors for dual view (close up and overall)
Interaction
Onsite team assembles and demos fit / operation and shares any challenges.
Remote designer shares thoughts and onscreen print views via BEAM display
Agreement on next steps occurs and plans are made
Customer Visit / Project Prototype Review:
In the office
BEAM (driven by remote designer)
Phone on a mobile cart on Zoom meeting (human translates the cart and fix as needed)
Remote designer
Drives the BEAM and joins a Zoom meeting with all team members
Uses PC with 2 monitors for dual view (close up and overall)
Remote visitors (customer and other company team members)
Joins via Zoom or TEAMS (if they have it installed)
