Immersive Virtual Simulation Research Articles

Integrating immersive experience into hybrid education: a case study in fintech experimental education

The fintech (financial technology) employment market presents significant barriers to entry, including rigorous selection criteria based on factors such as profitability, risk, security, and confidentiality, which limit students’ opportunities to enter the industry. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges faced by the fintech employment market in China. Consequently, it is crucial to assist fintech students in enhancing their professional abilities to navigate the job market successfully. Virtual reality is gaining increasing importance in educational fields due to its immersive virtual simulation capabilities. In this study, a hybrid fintech course was designed based on the principles of outcome-based education theory and the flipped classroom model. The project objective was to provide students with virtual training and project-based assessments that facilitate a seamless transition from theoretical knowledge to practical application in the industry. To evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid education, a comparative user experiment was conducted involving 60 participants (students) from Guangdong University of Finance. The study used median data, average data, and the entropy weight method for analysis. The results indicated that hybrid education has a positive impact on individual-level critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. We believe that our study can provide critical data references for global online/hybrid education researchers and contribute to the education field.

Immersive virtual simulation system design for the guidance, navigation and control of unmanned surface vehicles

The simulation of Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) is a key issue to provide an economical way to test and improve the various algorithms in the development and research of Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). However, most of the existing simulation systems are offline with limited visualization scene, and unable to interact with real sensors mounted on the USV, thus failing to display the immersive and real-time motion of USV for researchers. In this paper, a virtual simulation system is developed, which provides an open and online platform for the immersive and visualized GNC simulation of USVs. Two modes are designed with one to provide a virtual simulation with simulated sensors and USVs, while another to provide a visualization of real GNC tasks driven by the in-situ data. To accomplish these two modes, the lower computer works to interact with simulated or real sensors, and calculate the mathematical model of USVs, while the host computer works to obtain the data from lower computer, and implement the GNC of USVs, which is finally and immersively displayed in the virtual scene. Moreover, an open interface is designed in this system that allows the researchers to test their own algorithms in the GNC of USVs. The sliding mode control (SMC) controller, hybrid navigation algorithm as well as LOS-based formation navigation algorithm are proposed to serve as two case studies in the single-USV and multi-USV scenarios. The results verify the effectiveness of the proposed virtual simulation system in the immersive and visualized simulation of GNC for USVs.

ПСИХОЛОГО-ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКОЕ СОПРОВОЖДЕНИЕ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ ИНКЛЮЗИВНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ: ПЕРСОНИФИЦИРОВАННЫЙ ПОДХОД

Nowadays in the scientific and educational community there is an increasing interest in exploring the opportunities of using digital technologies in inclusive education. The authors of the article reveal the relevance of this research area, based on current trends in the development of education, analysis of disability trends among children and adults in Russia. The authors clarified the following concepts: «digital technology», «digital innovation», «e-inclusion». The researches devoted to using digital technologies in correctional and developmental activities and inclusive education are analyzed; among them – virtual reality technologies, digital storytelling technologies, an immersive virtual simulator, developing software and didactic complexes. To identify the difficulties that teachers and students experience when using digital technologies in inclusive education, the authors conducted an experimental study. Teachers from 226 preschool educational organizations, 361 primary and secondary schools and 47 professional educational organizations of the Republic of Tatarstan participated in study. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that it is necessary to implement a personalized approach to the psychological and pedagogical support of the digitalization of inclusive education. This approach, in the author's understanding, implies the implementation of an individual psychological strategy in education, which involves the use of teaching technologies, taking into account the psychological characteristics of students, their intellectual and physical potential, and the situational psycho-emotional state. The article also reveals the positive and negative effects of digitalization of inclusive education, the problem of Internet security in the digital environment.

Application of virtual reality technology in inclusive education of persons with complete or partial lower limb injury

Problem and goal. The annual growth in the number of people with disabilities determines the relevance of the problems of inclusive education, the solution of which requires new teaching aids that are more interactive and visual than classical tools. This problem necessitates the use of innovative solutions, one of which is the use of virtual reality technology as a way of interactive communication of information and a comfortable environment for students with disabilities. Methodology. The main object of the study is an immersive virtual simulator designed for teaching disabled students in a technical direction. Using the example of the simulator, a solution for interactive and comfortable for perception transfer of knowledge in the specialty is demonstrated. The analysis of the number of persons with disabilities and the number of students with disabilities in secondary vocational and higher education was carried out using open sources, such as sfri.ru and rosstat.gov.ru. Results. Definitions are given for understanding the essence of virtual reality technology and solutions, in the form of simulators suitable as simulators with a unique approach to information perception. Consideration of the developed immersive virtual simulator for the maintenance of personal computers in a broad context allowed us to reflect the features of the application of innovative solutions for inclusive education. Conclusion. In the process of carrying out research work using various means of analysis virtual simulator, the main areas of application of virtual reality for people with disabilities are considered and appropriate conclusions are drawn about the use of virtual reality technology in inclusive education.

Immersive virtual reality to train preservice teachers in managing students' challenging behaviours: A pilot study

AbstractThis pilot study investigated the effects of immersive virtual reality (VR) training on the classroom management ability of preservice teachers, the addition of real‐time audio feedback as reinforcement and whether preservice teachers could apply their training in an actual classroom setting. We employed the Breaking Bad Behaviours' immersive VR system to design a training situation. Managing students' challenging behaviours was the training target, and 10 preservice teachers were invited to participate (five men and five women; age range, 20–26 years). The results revealed that the immersive VR training experience improved the speed and effectiveness of the participants' management of challenging behaviours in students and enabled the participants to transfer their learning to an actual classroom setting. After the training, the teachers were more confident in halting challenging behaviours by approaching the students, taking appropriate actions and using oral commands. Real‐time audio feedback had a positive but weak influence and gave the participants a feeling of encouragement and affirmation regarding their actions; the influence of real‐time feedback is expected to be stronger if the target of the reinforcement is focused on specific classroom management strategies. Finally, more interactive student avatars should be added to the immersive VR system to enhance classroom management communication, thus making the system a more effective teacher training tool. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Virtual reality (VR) provides a high degree of realism that increases the effectiveness of teacher training simulations. Desktop VR technology has been applied in professional development for classroom management; few studies have used immersive VR for classroom management training. What this paper adds The immersive virtual training experience could improve preservice teachers' ability to handle students' challenging behaviours, and the classroom management ability learned through immersive VR can be transferred to a real classroom. Real‐time audio feedback can encourage preservice teachers and provide a feeling of achievement and affirm their actions. Implications for practice and/or policy Immersive VR simulations can be used as a training tool to provide preservice teachers with authentic classroom management practice experience. Through careful design, real‐time audio feedback can be incorporated into the immersive virtual simulation process to reinforce the target behaviours.

Visual and Spatial Analytics, Immersive Virtual Simulation Technologies, and Motion Planning and Object Recognition Algorithms in the Retail Metaverse

Visual and Spatial Analytics, Immersive Virtual Simulation Technologies, and Motion Planning and Object Recognition Algorithms in the Retail Metaverse

Using virtual manufacturing to design human-centric factories: an industrial case

Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising set of technologies to digitally simulate industrial processes and interaction between humans and machines. However, the use of immersive VR simulations is still limited in industry due to the uncertainty of benefits in respect with traditional digital tools, and the lack of structured methodologies to effectively implement immersive virtual simulations in practice. This paper deals with the application of VR to create virtual manufacturing simulations with the aim to design assembly lines in compliance with factory ergonomics. It proposes a methodology to allow the virtualization and simulation of assembly tasks using a combination of VR tools by replicating, or rather anticipating, what would happen at the shop floor. The adopted tools are Unity 3D for virtual environment generation, HTC VIVE to immerse the user in the virtual factory layout, Xsens as tracking system, and Leap Motion for gesture recognition. The paper also compares the new VR-based procedure with a more traditional desktop-based digital simulation on industrial cases. Results show that the new methodology is more precise to detect the operator’s comfort angles and more powerful to predict process criticalities and optimize factory layout design. At the same time, it is less sensitive to errors during ergonomic assessment related to the expert’s subjectivity during the analysis.

TOOLKIT FOR IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL SIMULATORS WITH BIOFEEDBACK

The architecture of the instrumental complex for the creation and reproduction of immersive virtual simulators using biological feedback is proposed. An overview of existing solutions such as tools for the development and reproduction of virtual simulators is considered. The analysis of the use of virtual reality in different areas such as aircraft control, parachute jumping, various medical procedures, and operations which require preliminary preparation is considered. The concept of an immersive virtual simulator with biological feedback has been introduced. The use of virtual reality and biological feedback equipment as well as the applicability of the software-hardware complex in the field of interaction and control of objects of the virtual environment based on the state of a person and the state of objects are determined within its framework. The following principles of the instrumental complex development based on the use of the ontological approach are proposed: the use of various mechanisms to describe the learning scenario, the support for various control mechanisms of the simulator, the inclusion of specialists of different profiles in the development process of the simulator, and the automatic generation of the components of the virtual environment based on the declarative model of the virtual simulator to simplify the creation of a virtual environment. The description of the architecture and all interested participants is provided. The connections between the participants and the components of the tool complex are shown. The information and software components of the instrumental complex aimed at automating the process of creation, launch, control, and monitoring based on biological feedback are considered. A complex of ontologies is described: the ontology of an immersive virtual simulator with biological feedback and the ontology of knowledge about human states. The interfaces of the instrumental complex are demonstrated, such as interfaces of the equipment editor, monitoring tools, and launching tools.

Behavioral Counseling Training for Primary Care Providers: Immersive Virtual Simulation as a Training Tool.

Behavioral counseling represents an efficacious approach for improving health behaviors on a population level, and the primary care setting is an appropriate context in which to implement this approach. However, evidence suggests that the utilization of behavioral counseling techniques in primary care, including those informed by motivational interviewing, is sub-optimal. Insufficient training has been cited as a barrier to utilizing counseling in the primary care setting. Recent work has evaluated the effectiveness of virtual simulations that can provide access to “virtual” patients while retaining the scalability inherent to a digital medium. However, these educational interventions have been limited to simulations delivered through a two-dimensional screen. More immersive simulations delivered through a head-mounted display can create a realistic practice environment that encompasses a learner's entire field of view, which may confer additional benefits with respect to training outcomes. The purpose of this short article is to briefly review the relevant literature across disciplines to conceptualize the potential effectiveness of this technology as a training tool for behavioral counseling. Immersive virtual simulations are designed to induce a psychological phenomenon referred to as presence, whereby a learner perceives themselves as existing within the virtual environment. As such, immersive virtual simulations can provide opportunities for practice, coaching, and feedback in an environment that closely approximates the clinical setting in which counseling will be delivered. Through its effects on presence, this technology may be particularly useful for developing empathy, which is an important component of counseling. Recommendations for future research are also provided.

Virtual Maintenance Simulation for Socially Sustainable Serviceability

In order to achieve more sustainable development processes, industries need not only to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, but also to increase the operators’ wellbeing to promote social sustainability. In this context, the present research focuses on the definition of a methodology based on human-centred virtual simulation to improve the social sustainability of maintenance tasks by enhancing system design and improving its serviceability. It is based on the operators’ involvement and the analysis of their needs from the early design stages on virtual mock-ups. The methodology proposed merges a protocol analysis for human factors assessment and an immersive virtual simulation where immersive serviceability simulations can be used during design phases. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, an industrial use case has been carried out in collaboration with CNH Industrial.