Study of Interaction Methods in Virtual Electrician Training

Abstract

Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality technologies can be applied to improve competences of serviceman, or generally employees dealing with technical systems. The paper describes results of a first stage of development of a VR training system dedicated to electricians, working for one of Poland's major electricity providers. Three methods of interaction with the virtual environment and three navigation methods have been implemented in the presented application. To choose the best method of interaction and navigation in the training application, 30 electricians tested different combinations of methods in two training scenarios. Each participant went through the scenario twice, using two different navigation modes for the same interaction mode and scenario. The time of each pass was measured and the participants filled in a questionnaire to give feedback on their subjective impressions of using a given mode. Based on the gathered data analysis, the best interaction and navigation methods have been selected. These initial results will improve interaction and navigation at the next stage of the application development and implementation in the enterprise.