John Deere uses VR wearable for safety and productivity gains in tractor assembly

August 21, 2019 | Case Study

Johns Deere, one of the largest players in farm equipment manufacture, wanted to improve worker productivity and safety during tractor assembly. To tackle this challenge, the company turned to virtual reality for worker monitoring. Workers are using virtual reality (VR) headsets to virtually assemble tractors during product design. The assessment involves a worker wearing the headset becoming immersed in a virtual production environment. Reviewers see the same environment as the worker. The reviewers assess the worker's posture, use of tools, and assembly methods to evaluate safety. To develop the VR environment, John Deere integrated the technology with existing IT systems, enabling the VR system to model 20,000 individual parts.