An Operational VR Platform for Building Virtual Training Environments

Advances in Virtual Reality (VR) systems, Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Agent Technology make it possible to design and develop Virtual Training Environments (VTEs), where the trainees can immerse themselves and interact directly with the learning domain. This paper presents the Interaction Specification Workspace (ISW) architecture for the specification and design of virtual environments for training purposes. ISW architecture provides the interaction designer with the capability to specify the training interaction with the virtual environment using the Virtual Reality Multi Flow Graph (VR-MFG) as the underlying interaction specification model. ISW implements a design space, where the processes of interaction specification and design of VTEs take place inside a three-dimensional virtual environment, the objects of which are tools by themselves. Inside this workspace, the designer can associate the abstract objects (the components of the VR-MFG) with “actual” objects of the target virtual environment (kept in a “world” database) and apply a number of agent templates with training capabilities.

Training in virtual environments: putting theory into practice

As one of the most expensive and frequently used resources, cranes play an essential role in the operation of activities on construction sites. They require certified operators whose knowledge of codes and regulations is essential for safe and productive lift tasks. Blind spots pose a significant issue for crane operators as they limit the crane operator’s field-of-view that potentially slows down execution of such tasks. Often collaboration between crane operators and ground personnel is limited and requires advanced communication techniques, such as radios, to resolve the limited visibility issue. Although visualization technology has been widely adopted in practice to enhance visibility, education and training programs related to cranes lack multi-user collaboration environments. This paper presents an approach towards developing a virtual training environment that allows multiple subjects to participate in lifting operations cooperatively. Through a 3D real-time immersive user visualization interface users are able to perform hands-on tasks such as operating cranes and directing blind lifts. In addition, geometry constraints and safety hazards are introduced to augment the simulation-fidelity of the virtual training environment. A test involving two users was conducted and the results show that the proposed approach can effectively simulate collaborative tasks in crane lifting operations. This study has potential to enhance the productivity and safety of crane lifting operations.

Enhancing virtual environment spatial awareness training and transfer through tactile and vestibular cues

Through technological advancements, the use of virtual environments (VE) in education and training has increased. One challenge that users face is the task of navigation in virtual environments. This research investigates navigation within a virtual environment and how users utilize different navigational tools. Navigational tools are categorized as either active or passive, based on the type of information that they present. The goal of this study was to determine if there are differences in the ways that users use passive and active navigational tools. This study was conducted by collecting eye fixations and fixation durations while participants used a navigation tool in completing a task in a VE. Results revealed no significant difference between percentage of fixations and fixation durations and future research should investigate the comparison of active and passive navigational tools in more complex virtual environments.

Recent years have seen growing interest in using virtual acoustic scenes in laboratory environments to emulate real-life complex listening environments. Questions remain, however, regarding the degree to which virtual environments reflect typical complex listening environments in daily life. In this study, participants with and without hearing loss completed speech perception testing in eight virtual acoustic scenes. Then, participants were sent home for a week with a hearing aid research platform, the Portable Hearing Lab (PHL), and instructed to seek out situations that represented their typical complex listening environments. The PHL was used to record the environment, and ecological momentary assessment was used to characterize the environment, including the location, number of noise sources, orientationof speech and noise, and access to visual cues. Acoustic, non-acoustic, and speech perception differences between virtual and real-life complex environments were compared. Although most of the complex environments in daily life were encountered at home, the virtual scenes were fairly representative in terms of the sound levels, noise sources, noise locations, and signal-to-noise ratios. Speech perception scaled similarly between the virtual environments and real life as a function of sound level and acoustic complexity. The results generally support the ecological validity of virtual acoustic scenes.

Resumo: O presente artigo descreve uma investigação que avaliou a utilização de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem colaborativa no processo de construção de conhecimentos sobre ciências da natureza em um grupo de 16 estudantes do terceiro ano do ensino médio de uma escola pública localizada na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre. A pesquisa teve abordagem qualitativa do tipo estudo de caso e os relatos coletados foram analisados por Análise Textual Discursiva (ATD), com categorias emergentes. O ambiente virtual utilizado foi disponibilizado pela empresa Microsoft® na plataforma OneDrive®. Os participantes identificaram contribuições proporcionadas pelo uso do ambiente virtual e da tecnologia em sala de aula, assinalando seus benefícios para o processo educacional. Entre os argumentos encontrados nas respostas dos participantes, estão os seguintes: o aumento da mobilidade proporcionada pelos recursos tecnológicos; a capacidade de a virtualidade possibilitar o surgimento de múltiplos processos de experimentação; a redução da sensação de distanciamento dos educandos entre si, e destes em relação ao professor; a superação dos limites impostos pelo tempo e espaço da sala de aula transmissiva e; a potencialização do questionamento reconstrutivo, à medida que os recursos para a busca de informações ficam à disposição e podem ser prontamente acessados e questionados pelo grupo de colaboração. Como resultado, a investigação permitiu concluir que os participantes reconhecem que a aprendizagem colaborativa em ambientes virtuais possibilita a implementação de uma forma prática de educação pela pesquisa, pois se desenvolve ao longo de um processo que implica interação com fontes de consulta e com grupos de trabalho, abrindo a possibilidade do surgimento de novas compreensões e relações. Palavras-chave: Aprendizagem colaborativa. Ambientes virtuais.

The next generation of virtual environments for training is oriented towards collaborative aspects. Therefore, we have decided to enhance our platform for virtual training environments, adding collaboration opportunities and integrating humanoids. In this paper we put forward a model of humanoid that suits both virtual humans and representations of real users, according to collaborative training activities. We suggest adaptations to the scenario model of our platform making it possible to write collaborative procedures. We introduce a mechanism of action selection made up of a global repartition and an individual choice. These models are currently being integrated and validated in GVT, a virtual training tool for maintenance of military equipments, developed in collaboration with the French company NEXTER-Group.

A fire disaster has the highest occurrence of frequency among disasters. A fire presents some of the characteristics of a disaster because of the highly destructive action of fire and of the considerable number of victims. Fire rescue is very essential in fire disaster emergency response. Disaster planning and response require ever more scientific elaboration and technological support. The paper establishes applications of fire disaster simulation and virtual fire training by using our Collaborative Virtual Geographic Environment (CVGE) platform-CySim, which is developed based on open source OpenSimulator server and Second Life client. The approach links fire simulation and human behaviour rehearsal to virtual environment, thus provides a flexibility interaction platform and distributed and collaborative learning network for disaster knowledge learning and virtual training. Users (trainers) can play it again and again, until they get it right. It therefore can be a replacement of live simulation training of fire disaster.

The use of journal clubs and, more recently, case-based discussions in order to stimulate debate among orthopaedic surgeons lies at the heart of orthopaedic training and education. A virtual learning environment can be used as a platform to host virtual journal clubs and case-based discussions. This has many advantages in the current climate of constrained time and diminishing trainee and consultant participation in such activities. The virtual environment model opens up participation and improves access to journal clubs and case-based discussions, provides reusable educational content, establishes an electronic record of participation for individuals, makes use of multimedia material (including clinical imaging and photographs) for discussion, and finally, allows participants to link case-based discussions with relevant papers in the journal club. The Leicester experience highlights the many advantages and some of the potential difficulties in setting up such a virtual system and provides useful guidance for those considering such a system in their own training programme. As a result of the virtual learning environment, trainee participation has increased and there is a trend for increased consultant input in the virtual journal club and case-based discussions. It is likely that the use of virtual environments will expand to encompass newer technological approaches to personal learning and professional development.

BackgroundPattern recognition technology allows for more intuitive control of myoelectric prostheses. However, the need to collect electromyographic data to initially train the pattern recognition system, and to re-train it during prosthesis use, adds complexity that can make using such a system difficult. Although experienced clinicians may be able to guide users to ensure successful data collection methods, they may not always be available when a user needs to (re)train their device.MethodsHere we present an engaging and interactive virtual reality environment for optimal training of a myoelectric controller. Using this tool, we evaluated the importance of training a classifier actively (i.e., moving the residual limb during data collection) compared to passively (i.e., maintaining the limb in a single, neutral orientation), and whether computational adaptation through serious gaming can improve performance.ResultsWe found that actively trained classifiers performed significantly better than passively trained classifiers for non-amputees (P < 0.05). Furthermore, collecting data passively with minimal instruction, paired with computational adaptation in a virtual environment, significantly improved real-time performance of myoelectric controllers.ConclusionThese results further support previous work which suggested active movements during data collection can improve pattern recognition systems. Furthermore, adaptation within a virtual guided serious game environment can improve real-time performance of myoelectric controllers.

This article examines the effectiveness of using virtual reality training environments for procedural training in fourth generation airliners. It is based on a study that assessed whether the training outcomes from a current recurrent training course for FAA certificated airframe and power plant technicians, which used a full flight simulator (FFS) to deliver and assess training, differed from the same training delivered using a virtual reality (VR) device. The study used an experimental design with three groups, and two within-group measures of training effectiveness. The control group followed the current training programme and was assessed in the FFS, while the second group was trained using a VR device and was subsequently assessed in the FFS. Training effectiveness was assessed using a modified Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) tool that measured both cognitive and psychomotor aspects of learning alongside the time to successful completion of the assessed task was also measured. The population sampled for the study were all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificated airframe and power plant technicians who were engine-run qualified; a total sample of 100 was used to achieve a 95% confidence interval ( p &lt; 0.05). The hypothesis under test was that there is no difference in test performance between the three groups. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) analysis was performed using the GEARS scores and time to completion as variables, and the null hypothesis was retained. The VR system, as tested, was found to provide equivalent task performance to the traditional training method. Recommendations for future research and ongoing application of the specific experimental methodology were provided.

The science of instruction and training is founded on decades of research and practice. Moreover, the field continues to evolve as new theories, methods and practices emerge. A modern driver for this evolution has been the development of a vast array of instructional technologies. One of the newer technological advances is the use of virtual environments. This article considers how fundamental theories and findings from educational and training psychology may or may not apply in the world of virtual environments. In addition, apparent gaps are highlighted in the current knowledge base in order to foster ideas for future research.

Task-specific training in virtual environments (VEs) can provide practice for skills that are transferred to real-world settings. The present study examined skill acquisition and retention of a non-injured population performing a sensorimotor navigation task in the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN). Seventeen subjects participated twice weekly for 6 weeks, with follow-up visits at 3-month intervals for one year. Subjects performed a navigation task, where they drove a virtual boat through a scene using weight shifting and body movement. Subjects improved over time on all outcome measures. A significant effect was observed for visit number on total score, time to complete the task, number of buoys navigated successfully, and number of penalties incurred. No differences were observed between the last training visit and any follow-up visit. Task-specific training in immersive VEs may be effective for warfighter operational skills training and rehabilitation of wounded warriors, by utilizing tasks that lead to long-term retention.

A new auditory orientation training system was developed for blind people using acoustic virtual reality (VR) based on a head-related transfer function (HRTF) simulation. The present training system can reproduce a virtual training environment for orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction, and the trainee can walk through the virtual training environment safely by listening to sounds such as vehicles, stores, ambient noise, etc., three-dimensionally through headphones. The system can reproduce not only sound sources but also sound reflection and insulation, so that the trainee can learn both sound location and obstacle perception skills. The virtual training environment is described in extensible markup language (XML), and the O&M instructor can edit it easily according to the training curriculum. Evaluation experiments were conducted to test the efficiency of some features of the system. Thirty subjects who had not acquired O&M skills attended the experiments. The subjects were separated into three groups: a no-training group, a virtual-training group using the present system, and a real-training group in real environments. The results suggested that virtual-training can reduce "veering" more than real-training and also can reduce stress as much as real training. The subjective technical and anxiety scores also improved.