The automobile group Valeo is exhibiting at virtual reality event on April 12-14, 2023.
Crédits photos : Valeo
Founded in 1923, Valeo is a heavyweight of the automobile and mobility sector. The multinational company, which celebrates its centenary this year, doesn’t lack ambition. Valeo knows how to reinvent itself by riding the wave of the rise of new technologies that emerge each decade, including virtual reality and the metaverse. How are those technologies used by Valeo? Let’s find out with Bruno Albesa and Julien Moizard, both Directors of Research & Innovation at Valeo.
Valeo, leader of innovation in the automobile sector
Historically, Valeo is an automobile supplier. The company established itself in the 2000s as the “world leader in ultrasonic sensor parking assistance systems”. At the same time, Valeo opened its first R&D center, clearly announcing its ambition for technological innovation. In 2021, Valeo invested 1.5 billion euros in research and development.
Today, Valeo is interested in new technologies, in particular virtual reality. “This technology is interesting for several applications, for example visualization of automobile parts before they’re built or as a development assistance and acceleration tool”, explains Bruno Albesa, Director of Research and Innovation at Valeo. The company already thinks about a third approach: use those technologies inside the car.
The major trend in mobility of the future is to have human-machine interfaces as intuitive as possible, that adapt to the inside and outside context of the car. The goal is to have the right information, at the right time, in the right place for the drive.
Julien Moizard – Director of Research & Innovation Projects at Valeo
Two virtual reality experiences presented at Laval Virtual
For the first time, Valeo is an exhibitor at the event about virtual reality and the metaverse. The automobile company will present two immersive experiences at Laval Virtual: Panorama XR and Intuition XR.
- Intuition XR projects the user inside a car from 2030, thanks to a virtual reality headset. « This experience shows Valeo’s vision of the car of the future”, clarifies Bruno Albesa. With Intuition XR, Valeo reinvents the experience inside the car.
- Panorama XR is a technology that recreates the outside environment of a car with a drone view. It’s an important progress in the security of remote-controlled autonomous cars. “It’s a new way to communicate between inside and outside the car”.
“Taking part in Laval Virtual is an opportunity to meet the players of the sector and to introduce our skills in virtual reality”, Julien Moizard reveals. “It’s also a way to talk with young virtual reality talents, to build a specialized team around this subject”. Valeo already hired many professionals from the gaming universe, and is looking to recruit immersive technologies experts. “Virtual reality is an opportunity to add value to our original products which are sensors”. Valeo is an exhibitor at Laval Virtual on April 12-16, 2023, on booth A28.