INNOVATING THE ENGINEERING LABS WITH VIRTUAL REALITY SUPPORTED EXPERIMENTATIONS

Virtual Reality (VR) supported Engineering Laboratories project is in fact a revolutionary transformation in the field of education and training because it will enhance and make significant the importance of psychomotor learning domain towards more technical conceptualization and rapid mind developm

Project Title

INNOVATING THE ENGINEERING LABS WITH VIRTUAL REALITY SUPPORTED EXPERIMENTATIONS

Project Area of Specialization

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Project Summary

Virtual Reality (VR) supported Engineering Laboratories project is in fact a revolutionary transformation in the field of education and training because it will enhance and make significant the importance of psychomotor learning domain towards more technical conceptualization and rapid mind development in an artificially integrated virtual environment within a VR headset. There are two major characteristics of virtual reality that make it different: the ability to experience and interact.

The basis that led to propose this idea is the COVID-19 pandemic that have affected the practical laboratory workings of the students in schools, college and universities at large. Students are not able to perform their practical experiments on time in an appropriate environment.  Hence in order to cope up this issue, there is no better solution then using a VR supported and integrated engineering laboratories. Even besides the issue of pandemic, in daily use of experimental student laboratories, it will be beneficial since it is allowing the students to perform experiments in real time industry environment with all limitations and precautions observed. Plus the sensational tool of VR headset gives a real feel of every movement a student performs.

This project is focused on the diverse aspects of immersive experiences initially from the modelling of the engineering laboratory equipment particularly the “Engineering Machine Shop Lathe Operations” in 3DS Max followed by animations and rigging in Autodesk Maya and further developing them in the Unity environment to execute it in VR headsets. It will be using the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to facilitate the students with the virtual animations of the machine and they can perform operational experiments such as cutting, facing, knurling, deformation and more within it. The two touch controllers of the VR headset actually supports the dimensional and orientation movements in the animated environment. They are managed by hands movement to perform operations in VR environment. Moreover there are customized options of setting standards and measurements for both the students and instructors if they want to change it as per requirement. The purpose of using Oculus Quest 2 VR headset is because it known as “All in one VR headset” providing a wide variety of customized options, reliability, ease of doing experimental movements and Wi-Fi supported connectivity with other mobile devices.

Project Objectives

Pakistan is a developing country with most strategic position as per the geographical location. During the developing stages of the nation, the key characteristic that is expected from its individuals is to be educated with latest knowledge and skills. The current educational system is more of a traditional rather than advance. Majority students couldn’t get proper understanding of the concepts especially in the psychomotor learning domain either due to faulty apparatus or due to less number of apparatuses available. Purchasing physical equipments again and again as per innovations is not possible for an institution. Besides that during this developing stages of the nation, if the deadly pandemic like COVID-19 comes up, which totally let the people to avoid any kind of physical contact and get isolated, then this would affect the overall system at large.

In order to combat with such issues, it is proposed here to develop a prototype of engineering machine shop lathe machine operations in the VR environment where students will easily learn the experimentations, precautions and the implementary phases of the concepts they have learned as per cognitive domains of education within the VR headset. This project will be setting an example to adopt this trend of VR based engineering laboratories. An average person can remember only 20% of data that they hear and 30% of data if they see it. But if they receive this information through personal immersive reality experience, they may remember up to 90% of it. VR technology creates an immersive experience that helps students learn effectively and with interest.

The main objectives of this project are listed below:

1. To implement the Virtual Reality supported engineering labs in educational sector of Pakistan that will be beneficial in normal days as well as in unexpected pandemics etc.
2. To modify and innovate the current traditional system of psychomotor learning education through e-learning based on high quality virtual reality visualization labs.
3. To support student’s sense of conceptual understanding through high class immersive technology that is virtual reality and empowering memorable concept building.
4. To provide students and teachers with an integrated educational immersive technology of virtual reality that they may use during epidemics or pandemics supported by Wi-Fi.
5. Saving student’s time of learning and mind development by providing real time environment of relevant industry to perform experimentations and implementations.
6. Empowering the students to learn the applications oriented concepts and domains.
7. To invest in SDG-04 & SDG-09 in order to contribute our due role in achieving sustainable development goals.
8. To facilitate the educational and training institutions with a cost effective and quality conscious technology of virtual reality headsets for psychomotor learning.

Project Implementation Method

The implementation of Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering Laboratories project is a combination of Ten (10) interrelated modules that are listed and explained below:

1. 2D & 3D Components Modelling in 3ds Max Software.
2. Animation and rigging in Auto Desk Maya Software.
3. Importing the models and animations to Unity Software.
4. Rendering of modelled parts in Unity software.
5. Programming for VR environment in Unity Software.
6. Testing in Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.
7. Adjusting Software Development Kit as per the headset.
8. Reviewing the customized options in software.
9. Adjusting or modifying the customized options.
10. Experiment Performance in Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.

Benefits of the Project

The main benefit of using this project technology is during the pandemics like current COVID-19 where due to isolation and social distancing the students are required to adopt distant learning, hence they may pursue their psychomotor learning domain effectively in industry environments from their homes.

The major benefits of this project are listed below:

1. Virtual Reality supported engineering laboratories will help the students to get a full fledge practical picture of the concepts or research during learning and interaction with the real time 3D Animated environment that will definitely support their mental capability to learn with interest and increase their remembering capacity.
2. In using VR engineering labs there is no limitation to attend the physical lab. Even a student may perform the labs and complete their psychomotor learning from home by using a VR headset and connect to relevant server through Wi-Fi.
3. The 3D animated approach in VR engineering labs provides a strong and immediate engagement for students to get interactive with the system.
4. It enables the students of engineering or any other educational discipline through its global teleportation system which is in fact facilitate the virtual traveling through any industry of the world in just few clicks.
5. VR engineering labs can promote the active autonomy in which the student are able to direct their path within a virtual experience.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final deliverable of this project will have the following technical details including:

1. Modelled Machine Parts & Components.
2. Machine Animation and Rigging.
3. Animations importing & Rendering in Unity.
4. Control options based Programming in Unity.
5. Visualizing and experimenting in Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.

These technical details are explained below:

1. Modelled Machine Parts & Components:

These modelled parts and components helps in developing object orientations and preface for animations in VR software.

2. Machine Animation and Rigging:

The machine modelled parts and components are animated and rigger to provide a moving motional based components during visualization.

3. Animations importing & Rendering in Unity:

The momentary animations are brought into unity and rendered to begin influencing them with virtual reality associated environments and systems.

4. Control Options based Programming in Unity:

Programming supports in building the control options codes that in fact helps in doing experiment within VR headset. All the above steps are integrated here to develop a full fledge software to run in headset.

5. Visualizing and Experimenting in Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset:

The integrated developed software is installed in the Oculus VR headset to run the experimentation on lathe machine and perform operations.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Software System

Core Industry

Education

Other Industries

IT , Medical , Manufacturing

Core Technology

Augmented & Virtual Reality

Other Technologies

Artificial Intelligence(AI), Others

Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Education, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com