Work in Progress: Virtual Reality for Manufacturing Equipment Training for Future Workforce Development

Abstract

This Work-in-progress paper presents the pilot study of implementing a Virtual Reality (VR) environment to teach a junior-level Mechanical Engineering laboratory class at Prairie View A&M University. The target class is the manufacturing processes laboratory, which initially aimed to provide a hands-on experience with various manufacturing equipment. Providing students with systematic training followed by repetitive access to manufacturing equipment is required for longer knowledge retention and safety in laboratories. Yet, complications from the pandemic and other logistical events have negatively affected many universities' laboratory courses. The objective of this study is to examine the potential and effectiveness of the VR framework in engineering education. More specifically, this paper details the project's first phase, which includes the development and deployment of machining VR modules and preliminary outcomes. The VR module in this phase is based on the existing hammer fabrication project that requires the utilization of a milling machine, drill press, lathe, tap, and threading dies. A virtual replica of the machining laboratory was created using C# and the unity 3D game engine and published as an Android Package Kit (APK) for the META platform to be used in Oculus Quest 2 devices. The module is composed of three submodules, each corresponding to different hammer parts. These VR submodules replace traditional verbal and video training and are deployed in two semesters with 46 student participants. The student performance in project reports is compared with a control group for a quantitative assessment. Early conclusions indicate that the students remember the operation procedures and functions of equipment longer and are more confident in operating each manufacturing equipment leading to better quality parts and reports.