Virtual reality at nuclear issues: a review study

Recently, several applications using concepts related to virtual reality has been proposed to help on solving issues of great interest in Nuclear Engineering. Among them are power plant's control rooms simulators; measurement of the estimated radiation dose in a nuclear power plant; use of game engines to create virtual environments to support evacuation planning of buildings and circulation in areas subjected to radiation; development of a man - machine interface based on speech recognition; virtual control tables for simulation of nuclear power plants; evacuation plans support; security teams training and evaluation of physical protection barriers; ergonomic evaluation of control rooms, and other ones. Many of these applications are developed at Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN), having their results published in form of articles in periodicals and conferences. This article presents a review of some of these studies showing the evolution in the use of these concepts, describing some of its results and showing prospects for future applications that can make use of virtual reality technology

Development of a mobile game based on virtual reality tools to sensitize the population about the nuclear power plant’s emergency plan

The Angra dos Reis Nuclear Power Plant’s emergency plan, it´s the bunch of instructions that every citizen must adopt in case of an emergency situation. It’s highly important, that all the people living in the power plant´s surroundings truly understand every single step of the plan, because only in this way people will know how to react in case of a necessity. To hit this goals, the Brazil`s Electronuclear, made educational booklets, in the shape of comic books, trying to guide the population about the plan. On the other hand, we have an increasingly connected world, making possible that digital games, be very well accepted by the population. So this project has as an objective, developing a digital tool, in form of a mobile game that shows in a playful and interactive way for the user, the emergency plan, complementing the educational process and social actions made by many institutions. With the information taken from the booklets, objects and buildings were modeled in Autodesk 3ds Max, allied with the Unity 3D Game Engine, to make a city, inspired in Angra do Reis (RJ). The player has to follow all the security protocols giving by the Eletronuclear according with the rules provided by the National Nuclear Energy Commission. Is expected, with this game that will be available for the Eletronuclear that more people have the chance to know and believe in the efficiency of the emergency plan already established

The nuclear energy, public opinion and the awareness of work of nuclear institutions

With Brazil facing a prospect of expanding its nuclear-energy sources and the development of new nuclear techniques there is a need for imminent integration in the nuclear industry with the tool information. In this paper we propose the creation of a program aimed at the servers of the institutions that make up the Brazilian Nuclear Sector, with a view to preparing these to become multipliers in the dissemination of activities developed by the institution so that they can, with strong arguments, defending the work of industry criticism of this form of energy. The goal is to create an important process of change of mentality and attitude among people who relate to the servers in the industry, expanding the debate on the subject, so that society, clearly and free of prejudices can understand the benefits the use of nuclear energy

Digital game for education and dissemination of nuclear energy applications

Students are immersed in a society with many possibilities of interaction, either computer or smart phones. In addition, students demand more innovation, dynamism and interactivity in classrooms. The form of education that can motivate students to engage in the learning process can get them to be interested in the lessons and not prematurely abandon schools. On the other hand, educational materials based on Virtual Reality (VR), as computer games, havebeen considered an important educational tool for making dynamic, motivating, innovative, in addition to achieving those areas where traditional methods are not reaching its goal. Motivated by the above, and given the competence developed by the Virtual Reality Laboratory of the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear / CNEN and the collaboration of the University Center UniCarioca, was developed a digital game based on virtual reality tools for the teaching of a subject of area of science that needs to be addressed to society more contextualized way: the different applications of nuclear energy. It is expected that this digital game is an important tool for the dissemination, teaching and learning the benefits of nuclear energy

Virtual reality interactive simulator for training healthcare professionals in the use of ionising radiations

The application of ionizing radiation in medicine requires a rigorous attention to procedures in order to minimize the risks to the healthcare professional and to the patient. Risk minimization involves the training of the professional and the adequacy of the facilities. Virtual Reality (VR) is an already consolidated tool for training procedures, including those of the health sciences. In this context, an interactive VR simulator representing a radiotherapy room (bunker) for training healthcare professionals and the inspectors of such facilities was developed. This VR model allows the user to perform the normal activities on the operation and the inspection procedures of the facility. The model was based on the blueprints of a real radiotherapy clinic. The virtual model of the radiotherapy bunker, developed at the Institute of Nuclear Engineering, was presented to experts of the General Coordination of Medical and Industrial Facilities of CNEN and is in the process of receiving small modifications to the specific needs for its adequateness, as a training tool, in a training course, sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for inspectors of radiotherapy installations. This work shows the possibility of using Virtual Reality in the development of training tools for professionals working in radioactive installations

Atividades plugadas e desplugadas na educação infantil no desenvolvimento do pensamento computacional

Desenvolver o pensamento computacional (PC) nas crianças tem sido reconhecido atualmente como uma atividade importante para o exercício da cidadania no século XXI. No Brasil, há a recomendação de desenvolvimento do PC na educação formal desde a Educação Infantil (EI). No entanto, esse segmento tem apresentado uma maior resistência às inovações metodológicas. Sendo assim, esta pesquisa objetivou o desenvolvimento e aplicação de uma sequência didática (SD) para o desenvolvimento do PC na EI por meio da qual foram propostas atividades plugadas (com presença de hardware e software) e desplugadas (sem a presença de hardware e software) em conformidade à organização curricular desta etapa escolar, considerando o comportamento dos alunos diante das interações que lhes são proporcionadas, gerando conhecimentos práticos para a solução de problemas específicos sem estabelecer juízo de valor. Os resultados demonstraram que é possível desenvolver o PC na EI por meio de atividades plugadas e desplugadas

Use of Virtual Reality for the development of a Nuclear Waste Repository for Training

In Brazil the highest amount of waste generated is low and medium level of radiation. Its management and final destination is important for society and the solution, proposed by the government, involves the construction of a National Repository for Radioactive Waste. Using Virtual Reality (VR), this article aims to develop an interactive virtual model of the repository to assist in the study, evaluation, training of personnel and planning of the installation to be implemented. The method was divided into four steps. The first, called "Requirements Specification and Survey", aimed at acquiring information about the terrain and future buildings of the installation in the real world. The next step, known as "Modeling the Environment" is the construction of the virtual environment itself according to the specifications of the previous method. The third, called "Functionality Implementation" consists of inserting functionalities into the system, such as performing some tasks present in the repository. Finally, the last step is the interactive virtual model of the national repository for radioactive waste, with this tool users can study, evaluate and train conditions/situations of the installation. In conclusion, the results have shown that the tool presented in this work is a possible application of the VR for dissemination and training in nuclear installations. Using this tool, users can visualize and plan strategies to be carried out in a repository, without interrupting the operation of the installation. It can be used for training and operations simulations, aiming to improve the processes without exposing the operators to the radiation

Pequenos conteúdos por mensagens instantâneas como recurso de aprendizagem

O uso maciço das tecnologias móveis tomou conta da sociedade contemporânea de maneira tal que a Aprendizagem Móvel – por ser mais rápida, objetiva e interativa – vem ganhando espaço dentro e fora das salas de aula. Para esse estudo, utilizamos o aplicativo WhatsApp como ferramenta para compartilhar pequenos conteúdos de forma sistemática aos integrantes de uma turma da disciplina de Produção Gráfica em um curso superior de Design Gráfico. Experimentamos, em pequena escala, avaliar a eficácia desse recurso como técnica de reforço ao conteúdo dado em aula presencial em comparação com outra turma de igual disciplina que não teve acesso ao material disponibilizado por mensagens instantâneas. Avaliadas as turmas, ao final do semestre letivo, constatamos que as notas dos alunos integrantes ao grupo experimental foram substancialmente superiores às dos alunos do grupo de controle, apresentando assim, fortes indícios do poder dessa ferramenta como suporte em processos de ensino e aprendizado. Em vista disso, sugerimos o desenvolvimento de mais trabalhos na mesma linha e com uma amostra numericamente significativa de participantes para que se possa confirmar a validade estatística dos resultados alcançados neste estudo

Desenvolvimento de jogos educativos como ferramenta didática: um olhar voltado à formação de futuros docentes de ciências

No presente trabalho, buscou-se avaliar o impacto de uma prática pedagógica aplicada a licenciandos do curso de Ciências Biológicas de uma universidade particular do Rio de Janeiro. Os licenciandos foram estimulados a desenvolver jogos educativos relacionados à disciplina de Biologia Celular, para, numa etapa subsequente, aplicá-los com os colegas em sala de aula. Dois questionários foram aplicados aos participantes da pesquisa: o primeiro, imediatamente após o uso dos jogos em sala de aula, e o segundo, dois anos mais tarde, quando a licenciatura já havia sido concluída. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que jogos educativos devem merecer tempo e espaço privilegiados na formação dos professores, e apontam para a relevância de se aliar atividades pedagógicas a disciplinas de conteúdo específico desde o início da formação em licenciatura. Para isso, sugerimos estreito diálogo das disciplinas teóricas do ciclo básico com as disciplinas didáticas, particularmente Prática de Ensino e Estágio Supervisionado

Tecnologia digital como suporte pedagógico no ensino de biologia aos alunos surdos

O presente artigo apresenta um material didático que possa auxiliar professores de biologia a elaborarem aulas mais participativas para os alunos surdos, a fim de proporcionar uma aprendizagem atrativa e significativa. Para tal, foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória com professores de Biologia e, em seguida, foi realizada uma pesquisa documental, na qual buscou-se selecionar na plataforma Google canais do Youtube, jogos e aplicativos que pudessem contribuir para as práticas docentes. Os materiais selecionados foram reunidos em um e-book, junto à uma proposta de Sequência Didática (SD), sendo posteriormente avaliado por professores de biologia. O estudo possibilitou a percepção de que os docentes carecem de materiais que possam auxiliar a aprendizagem dos alunos surdos, assim como a importância das tecnologias digitais visuais para esse processo, sendo o e-book elaborado considerado potencialmente capaz de contribuir para as práticas pedagógicas inclusivas