Reverse engineering in construction

Recently a great deal of research into construction IT has been completed, and this is ongoing to improve efficiency and quality in the construction sector. The new innovation of 3D laser scanning is aimed at being used to improve the efficiency and quality of construction projects, such as maintenance of buildings or group of buildings that are going to be renovated for new services. The 3D laser scanner will be integrated with other VR tools such as GIS solutions and workbench for visualisation, analysis and interaction with a building VR model. An integration strategy is proposed for an Ordnance Survey map of the area and 3D model created by means of the laser scanner. The integrated model will then be transferred to the VR workbench in order to visualise, interact and analyse the interested buildings on purpose

Using virtual reality to create real world collaborations

The Radcliffe Science Library (RSL) is Oxford University’s principle science library and it provides easy access to digital tools to enhance teaching, learning and research. Previous projects have developed lending programmes for e-readers and iPads and introduced a popular 3D printing service. The library’s interest in adapting to disruptive technology and providing innovative tools to support academic projects and exploration of new technologies led us in 2017 to initiate a Virtual Reality (VR) lending programme. University members can now borrow VR Headsets, 360⁰ degree cameras and supplementary equipment free of charge from the RSL. In this paper we describe how the library VR programme has supplied opportunities to become more directly involved with student and researcher projects. In particular we will discuss the techniques used to promote experimentation with VR technology including touring the equipment around academic departments, organising a VR competition and engaging with real-world scientific research. Additionally we demonstrate how new services can develop into strategic collaborations which bring mutual benefits to the library and its partners. In particular, the RSL helped establish the VR & AR Oxford Hub in collaboration with University researchers. This has created a network of students, researchers and staff who are either working on or simply interested in VR & AR Technologies. The hub facilitates the sharing of ideas, expertise and equipment between members whilst also highlighting the library as a provider of innovative services. Our experience shows that far from being a ‘gimmick’, the VR lending service is part of maintaining the library’s relevance to the academic community while also remaining committed to the core library values of supporting research and disseminating information

MetaSpace II: Object and full-body tracking for interaction and navigation in social VR

MetaSpace II (MS2) is a social Virtual Reality (VR) system where multiple users can not only see and hear but also interact with each other, grasp and manipulate objects, walk around in space, and get tactile feedback. MS2 allows walking in physical space by tracking each user's skeleton in real-time and allows users to feel by employing passive haptics i.e., when users touch or manipulate an object in the virtual world, they simultaneously also touch or manipulate a corresponding object in the physical world. To enable these elements in VR, MS2 creates a correspondence in spatial layout and object placement by building the virtual world on top of a 3D scan of the real world. Through the association between the real and virtual world, users are able to walk freely while wearing a head-mounted device, avoid obstacles like walls and furniture, and interact with people and objects. Most current virtual reality (VR) environments are designed for a single user experience where interactions with virtual objects are mediated by hand-held input devices or hand gestures. Additionally, users are only shown a representation of their hands in VR floating in front of the camera as seen from a first person perspective. We believe, representing each user as a full-body avatar that is controlled by natural movements of the person in the real world (see Figure 1d), can greatly enhance believability and a user's sense immersion in VR.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Video: http://living.media.mit.edu/projects/metaspace-ii

Using Virtual Reality and Motion Capture as tools for Human Factors Engineering at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Team is implementing virtual reality (VR) and motion capture (MoCap) into HFE analyses of various projects through its Virtual Environments Lab (VEL). VR allows for multiple analyses early in the design process and more opportunities to give design feedback. This tool can be used by engineers in most disciplines to compare design alternatives and is particularly valuable to HFE to give early input during these evaluations. These techniques are being implemented for concept development of Deep Space Habitats (DSH), and work is being done to implement VR for design aspects of the Space Launch System (SLS). VR utilization in the VEL will push the design to be better formulated before mockups are constructed, saving budget and time. The MSFC VEL will continue forward leaning implementation with VR technologies in these and other projects for better models earlier in the design process

Simulation Tools for the Design of Virtual Training Environments

International audienceVirtual Reality (VR) for Education is spreading around and more and more training centers want to provide digital training, especially using VR technologies. The VR market is in full growth and many companies, startups and research teams are working on developing VR for Education on a large scale. Many domains are concerned by this learning digitalization, like science (Oliveira et al., 2019), military (Taupiac, 2018) and so on. The benefits of VR for education are numerous (Mano, 2019) and deeply investigated since the beginning of VR. There are many approaches in the process of training with VR, particularly since the commercialization of new VR headsets like HTC Vive™ and Oculus Rift™. Those headsets allow room scale tracking and are shipped with 3D space tracked controllers, granting a better user experience and a higher diversity in virtual training situations. New headsets are also affordable and so not only reserved for industrials, research or military, leading to new use of VR. In the VR industry, we have noticed some approaches used for the design of scenario. One classic approach is "serious game" that mainly consists in cloning classical educational games to VR, like point and clicks, 360° videos (Rupp et al., 2016) or dialog tree situations. The main interest of this category relies on existing projects and previous experiences with "standard serious games". The drawback is about the freshness of VR: it may not be suitable for those existing projects that were working nicely on a 2D screen. This kind of transposition could lead to atrocious user experiences and the underuse of the potential of VR. For educational purposes, other developers have followed another path: replicate reality. The main purpose is to provide situations that mimic real life situations. With this, training users with a high degree of realism eases skills transfer from VR to real situations. Realism can be achieved i

Sensing the Virtual: Atmosphere and Somaesthetics in Virtual Reality

This article examines somaesthetics in virtual reality via the spatial lens of atmosphere, adapting theories of atmosphere to virtual environments and advocating for VR as a distinctive terrain for somaesthetics. Building on Gernot Böhme’s analyses of atmosphere, this exploration unpacks ways that artists have engaged the body and space in VR, from creative interface design to multisensory storytelling, and projects that blend physical and virtual environments. Having mapped the confluence of somaesthetics, atmosphere, and immersive virtual space, the paper concludes considering the practical need for cultivating atmospheric competence in VR

A Taxonomy for Virtual and Augmented Reality in Education

In this paper, a taxonomy for VR/AR in education is presented that can help differentiate and categorise education experiences and provide indication as to why some applications of fail whereas others succeed. Examples will be presented to illustrate the taxonomy, including its use in developing and planning two current VR projects in our laboratory. The first project is a VR application for the training of Chemical Engineering students (and potentially industrial operators) on the use of a physical pilot plant facility. The second project involves the use of VR cinematography for enacting ethics scenarios (and thus ethical awareness and development) pertinent to engineering work situations.Comment: European Society for Engineering Education Conference 201

Low cost distributed VR LCD-VR

This report describes how a low cost distributed VR system can be created. It describes requirements and possibilities for a low cost VR environment. The use of the system is demonstrated as well as the system design process. Underlying IT-tools are analyzed and the client-server system components are described. The projects goals were reached; to connect people regardless of time and space, collaboration in Virtual Reality using low cost components, respond directly to users with direct feedback, easy to use interface, representing users/visitor as artifacts in the VR

Virtual reality in construction activities: barriers for adoption in China

Purpose - The research presents a study of the barriers that hamper industry adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) for construction activities in China. Design/methodology/approach - The research adopted a qualitative research methodology, using semi-structured interviews to collect data from participants. The initial set of codes was established through an open coding method for the subsequent content analysis of data. Findings - The findings obtained identified the economic issue as the main barrier impeding the adoption of VR to deliver construction projects in China. Other barriers were also identified including insufficient technical depth and awareness, and the fragmented nature of the supply chain within the industry. Originality/value - The study proposed recommendations on raising awareness, setting up workflows and government support to mitigate the limiting barriers. The findings of the study provide valuable insights to researchers and Chinese construction industry practitioners to better understand and promote VR adoption in the delivery of construction projects