TCHO Chocolate Factory Project

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TCHO Chocolate Factory Project

• Vision
• Apply FXPAL collaboration technologies in a
  real-world factory setting. Innovate in
  real/virtual collaborations, monitoring, and
  control technologies based on real users and
  real-world problems in manufacturing industries.

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TCHO Chocolate Factory

• Unique, rich real-world opportunity for FXPAL
  research
• Located on Pier 17, SF factory opened Fall 2008
• Positioned as high-tech chocolate accuracy in
  recipe invention and replication
• One of only a few chocolate factories in US
• Management is tech-savvy and willing to experiment

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Industrial Collaboration Environments

• Create 3D spaces with collaborative applications
  for specific tasks
• Six types of users, with subsets of each
• Managers (CEO, operations manager need different
  info)
• Operators (technical, mechanical)
• Tour guides (real-life, VR)
• B2B clients (technically knowledgeable)
• Suppliers and sources (cacao farmers and
  producers)
• Consumer customers (real-life, Web, VR)

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Mapping out collaboration areas

• A functional simulation, visualization, and
  collaboration environment
• a set of interlinked, real-time 3D and 2D layers
  of information about TCHO and its processes, with
  collaborative/social network functionality as
  well for multiple users. We can switch between
  layers of views or mini-apps designed for
  specific purposes.
• Collaborative applications for
• - remote factory observation
• - process/workflow monitoring and analysis
• - virtual inspections
• - b2b customer visits (augmented reality)
• - education and training of employees
• - visitor tours
• - inventory tracking
• First instances a 3D virtual factory floor in a
  multi-user virtual world, and an iPhone/VR Lab
  application

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Situated collaboration

• Specific, situated tasks or processes with
  spatial, temporal, and/or environmental
  components
• Example TCHO Development Lab
• - iPhone/VR mashup application for remote
  collaboration
• - Situation laboratory for developing recipes
• for each new type of cacao bean, per yearly
  harvest
• - Personnel 2 experts, 2 intermediate, 3 novice
• - Tasks (example) sort, humidity, pick over,
  pre-roast, roast 1, pre-roast 2, roast 2, grind,
  mix _at_ temperaturerecord every step
• - Time from 14 26 hours each often 5 -6
  simultaneous runs with different timing. Extended
  time period means at least two people involved,
  usually more.
• - Communication, accuracy and replicability are
  crucial.

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Detailed models, dynamic control
Overall factory floor tour Detailed tour of
particular machines or processes via interlinked
Forums with embedded HD video For employee
training, client tours, B2B demos Animation
possible via Python scripting
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Data visualization

• Data layers will show up in a realtime,
  multi-user 3D world (or worlds). These
  visualization layers each focus on different
  data, different functions and different users.
  Because the world is multi-user, people can talk
  with each other local and remote groups or
  communities can develop, or mirror those in the
  real world.
• Each layer uses appropriate representation for
  its purpose multi-camera video streams, or
  representational "mirror world" graphics, or more
  abstract data visualizations representing the
  current or past state of the sensor fusion
  network in/around the TCHO factory and associated
  processes.
• Mashups between the data representations in
  different layers can call out "hot spots" or
  hitches in production, or suggest a need for
  maintenance, or be used to train new employees.
  As is common with mashups, it's likely that some
  useful qualities will be emergent.

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More information?

• A project of the MIR (Mixed and immersive
  Realities) group at FXPAL
• We need a summer intern for 2009
• Contact Maribeth Back back_at_fxpal.com