Roadmap to DR

Source: Learn Virtual Europe

Based on the benefits VR and AR tools offer, your organization decided to invest in some of the new technology. Now there will be a number of questions you will need answers. In this section we walk trough the steps of a recommended implementation process. For simplicity, we focus on manual trades, where implementing new simulation tools with a real world expertise is a must on the seller side.

The roadmap has six steps

1. Identify your needs

Do not have time to cover the curriculum? Too many students? Materials are expensive? Too much time wasted between shifts? All the problems should be redefined as needs to fulfill. This is a crucial step before you invest in AR/VR/MR tools. The provider of the tool should be able to answer the question: how exactly the tool will meet your needs. Turning or reframing problems into needs may be elusive at first. Please see the examples below.

Examples of turning problems into needs

You will see three different needs in three different cases.

Welding

THE PROBLEM: Bad routines in hand motor control are very hard to correct. There are 12 students for one teacher. The teacher do not have time to watch all students because they are too many, and they are in separate booths. The teacher cannot have less students.

TURNING THIS INTO NEED: The teacher needs a controlling mechanism that corrects hand movements immediately.

Note that we do not identify the "controlling mechanism" when we figuring out the need. This mechanism could be assistants standing in each booth or cameras suspended above the trainee's head or a simulator. This is important not to offer solutions at first otherwise you can fall into the trap of tools. If you only have a hammer in your hand everything seems to be a nail around you.

Painting

THE PROBLEMS: In car body painting the cost of the training is very high. The paints, the health safety masks, and clothing and the installing booths are expensive. Other problem is you have to wait until the body part gets dried. There are a lot of time between work and the feedback. Then you have to sand the body part to use it again that takes a lot of time again.

TURNING THIS INTO NEED: Find solutions to make it healthier cheaper and remarkably faster.

As in case of welders note that we do not identify the mechanism when we figuring out the need. This solution could be organising the teaching process by splitting trainees into 'painters' and 'sanders' for a day then change.

Forklift

THE PROBLEMS: An employment bureau has a long term contract to provide temporary forklift drivers for storages and malls. Turn-around is fast and they do not trust only licenses the applicants show. So the bureau not only seeks drivers but does training as well. The main problem is to do tests and trainings as fast as possible but renting big halls and many forklifts are very expensive.

TURNING THIS INTO NEED: Find solutions to run tests and at least the beginning parts of a trainings for a lot of applicants simultaneously without renting extra halls and forklifts.

Please note that the resulting sentence above has several concessions or discounts, such as "at least the beginning parts" or "extra halls and forklifts".

In the example above we cheated a bit. We did not tell you the exact circumstances. This is on purpose now. We want to highlight that the transforming teaching or business problems into a set of needs is a process that is only can be done by several debates with questions that might arise new problems and consequences. Here, the problem is to keep budget low, but preserve high quality of service, namely providing good temps for the customers.

2. Choose the right devices

There are good immersive solutions almost for every mainstream professions. Identifying needs will help you to narrow your search. Most of the needs are covered with off the shelves products and the rest can be developed at a relatively low cost.
You will find a few hints regarding the tools and providers below.

Examples of choosing tools

Three different aspects when choosing tools.

Welding

In welding you can choose from a wide range of Digital Reality solutions that would be more efficient than employing assistants or using cameras. The main question is wether a kind of simulator or a motion tracking system is the most appropriate solution. Some believe, a motion tracking system is enough, and if the motoric motion of the hand is all right, everything else should be done in the reality. Others say for high quality welding such as TIG, a simulator will be absolutely useful. Some of the welding simulators enable the trainees to operate on a surgical level. Visit our "Showcase" in the main top menu for the list of relevant producers.

Painting

There are DR solutions for painting. Most of them are well developed tools that enables you to teach with little control. The question is which factors are the most relevant for you from precision, trainer support, transportability, maintanence, lifespan and of course, pricing. Please check out our "Before you choose" part for details on the left sidebar.

Forklift

Forklift simulators are a very attractive option to keep budget low and run drivig tests. To learn routines can also be done on simulator just like in the Airforce or Navy. Forklift simulators can be scaled from an tabletop version with flatscreens to the full immersive moving chairs and VR glasses solutions. The question is which factors are the most relevant for you from precision, trainer support, transportability, maintanence, lifespan and of course, pricing. If you want the trainees to feel the forces when they lift you should invest a full immersive solution. If you want this complexity for tranings or tests you will have a robust machine and must sacrifice transportability. Please check out our "Before you choose" part for details on the left sidebar.

3. Analyze the situation

There are important factors such as physical conditions, portability, sensors, moving parts. There are educational aspects such as integration to existing processes. Another factor is budget. And at last but not at least organizational issues like skepticism, mistrust or even reluctance. We detail typical situations in the chapter "Obstacles in the organization".

4. Trainings

The new tools require new skills. First you will have to learn the physical capabilities. Immersive tools are never to be substitute the real tools. They are supplement them. By using them you can teach elements faster and cheaper and safer than with real tools. In the first training you need to learn the handling and the capabilities of the immersive devices. In the second training or training module, you should learn about the tool reporting system that should be configured to your very needs you identified at the first step of the roadmap. On the third training you will learn how to do the administration of these tools. We detail this administrator role in the part titled Instructor 2.0

5. Installing

Having equipped with the knowledge the installations and the necessary changes in curriculum can be made more easily than having the tools installed without prior practice.

6. Using the tools

Using the tools connected to the reporting system, you will be able to find the factors and aspect you can measure progress with. Using AR/VR/MR tools will open new possibilities in teaching and learning and make learning a new adventure.

Hint 1: Choose a seller with a solid real world expertise

There is no general solutions in the market. A good simulation tool in welding, for example, is good because it was developed with a constant feedback and advices coming from high-standard real world welders. These information is about every possible aspects that may arise from gestures, materials, machine setting or to the ability to keep focus. These information are concerning not only the process of the different types of welding, but pay special attention to health and safety scenarios such as special setting to avoid gas explosions or burn.

Summing it up, to get a good training simulator in medical operations, welding , construction, woodworking or painting, it is crucial to hire a VR company that is an expert in your specific manual trade.

Hint 2 : See it for yourself

First you need to pass a training course yourself to understand the challenges of DR for your business, establish your DR pedagogical strategy and learn how to manage virtual reality equipment.

Most of the high-standard producers offers you a Virtual Trainer training, where you can adapt to and learn the new methodology. This training usually takes place in your school or training center.

Hint 3: Installation and configuration

Once you have identified all the challenges of VR for your company and established your DR pedagogy strategy, all that remains is to acquire immersive learning equipment. Find details on pedagogical guidelines here!

What equipment is needed to conduct a DR training session?

You will have been advised on this question in your training. Generally you will need hardware such as DR glasses, controllers and other accessories like a dummy or mannequin in healthcare simulation. You will need the specific computer called 'the simulator' itself and a software that run not only the simulation but the whole training program. These equipments will come in a bunch. Producers provide you a compact solution integrated the three elements into one box.

In the showcase part of the handbook you will find a list of producers with links to their website.

Where to install your DR training equipment?

Well, it depends. There are numerous factors that may influence the place. The VR and AR simulators do not take up much space, the normal room where the training is usually takes place is fine. No extra wiring or other installment is necessary. Seek for more details in the next part of the book: Before you choose

You should however, consider other factors: the student will move in a space without seeing and hearing the real environment. You should figure the workload, number of students , the type of sensors on the simulator because light sensors can be disturbed by sunlight ultrasonic sensors can be affected by other ultrasound devices. You should consider storing place for simulators and spare parts. You should consider where and what other students will do when one is in the training metaverse.

Safety First!

Keep in mind that wearing VR glasses can be very exhausting!

• Check and test the working area is free of any type of obstacles (holes, steps, slippery floor, tables or sharp edges.)
• Test, then establish the optimal working time in minutes. Retest the optimal working time regularly.
• Some people feel bad or have a vertigo in a virtual environment.
• After taking the glasses off, people should have a few minutes to get back to reality or still have a vertigo.
• You should avoid infections, so make sure that VR glasses are disinfected in each relay.

Conclusion

In order to digitalize your training and move to virtual reality, you will have to contact a VR/AR/MR training company specialized in manual jobs.

You will have to train yourself on immersive learning and acquire the right material for your sector and job.

Top producers work with engineers, developers, psycho-pedagogues to create training courses and create environments adapted to each manual profession and meet regularly with trainers to update all VR trainings on the latest practices, rules and gestures in force.

The six steps approach is written by Learn Virtual Europe. The three hints of this article are based on Mimbus installment advices