Augmented reality in engineering

Abstract

This work discusses the applicability of the augmented reality technology as a tool for learning/teaching and its role in engineering training. Online Experimentation Resources at the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto permits and fosters contact with technologies that are used currently in industry, medicine, development, services and research by providing remote, virtual and augmented reality experiments. The available resources are diverse and they offer an “all-purpose” structure in order to be easily adapted and so, allowing the teacher to frame it according the resource applicability perspective in the context of his/her course curriculum. In this context some augmented reality applications had been used by engineering students to familiarize them with this type of tools based in emerging technology that can be playing an important role in later students’ labor environment. To evaluate the reaction of students to the contact with this kind of technology a twenty four items questionnaire was prepared, filled by students and evaluated. Finally, the results were analyzed and briefly reported here.