Programmable Immersive Peripheral Environmental System (PIPES): A Prototype Control System for Environmental Feedback Devices

This paper describes an environmental feedback device (EFD) control system aimed at simplifying the VR development cycle. Programmable Immersive Peripheral Environmental System (PIPES) affords VR developers a custom approach to programming and controlling EFD behaviors while relaxing the required knowledge and expertise of electronic systems. PIPES has been implemented for the Unity engine and features EFD control using the Arduino integrated development environment. PIPES was installed and tested on two VR systems, a large format CAVE system and an Oculus Rift HMD system. A photocell based end-to-end latency experiment was conducted to measure latency within the system. This work extends previously unpublished prototypes of a similar design. Development and experiments described in this paper are part of the VR community goal to understand and apply environment effects to VEs that ultimately add to usersâ perceived presence

Developing Virtual Reality Module to Improve Student Learning Experience in Additive Manufacturing Curriculum

In our current additive manufacturing (AM) curriculum, the study relies on taking lectures and physical lab experiments. With the advance of virtual reality (VR) technologies in terms of both software and hardware, there is a need to advance the education with adopting advanced VR technologies. In this project, we present our latest results of developing new VR modules in AM curriculum. Specifically, the developed VR modules for fusion deposition modeling and fatigue testing will be presented. In the on-going research, students will be required to use the VR modules in comparison with the physical lab experiments. The focus will be understanding the effectiveness of VR technology on engineering curriculum