Almost daily communication vehicles make some reference to the need to combat the indiscriminated use of

fossil fuels and to use less polluting energy sources. In this scenario, nuclear energy should be presented as an option but this is still covered by many myths. Thus, to inform the youth public about the characteristics of the main sources that compose the brazilian energy matrix it is necessary to promote the transfer of knowledge and to demystify the nuclear sector in playful and responsible way

LAPA, Celso M. F.

MOL, Antonio C. A.

SILVA, Maria I. B.

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2017 International Nuclear Atlantic Conference - INAC 2017
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, October 22-27, 2017
ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE ENERGIA NUCLEAR – ABEN
THE USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY AS AN INFORMATION TOOL ON
EXTERNALITIES OF ENERGY SOURCES
Maria I. B. Silva1, Antonio C. A. Mol2 and Celso M. F. Lapa3
 Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN / CNEN – RJ)
Rua Hélio de Almeida, 75
21941-614 Rio de Janeiro, RJ
1 isabel@ien.gov.br
2 mol@ien.gov.br
3 lapa@ien.gov.br
ABSTRACT
Almost daily communication vehicles make some reference to the need to combat the indiscriminated use of
fossil fuels and to use less polluting energy sources. In this scenario, nuclear energy should be presented as an
option but this is still covered by many myths. Thus, to inform the youth public about the characteristics of the
main sources that compose the brazilian energy matrix it is necessary to promote the transfer of knowledge and
to demystify the nuclear sector in playful and responsible way. 
1.  INTRODUCTION
Nowadays when talking about nuclear energy, the first thing that comes to the minds of most
people is the explosion of an atomic bomb. This sad association is made on account of history
itself, which presented the nuclear energy to the world in the form of bombs that devastated
the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, much has happened and nuclear
energy is present in people’s daily lives, but it is still difficult to talk about it and mainly to
defend the matter.
Therefore, the basis of all the transformation that must occur in the sector is in information.
The spread of information and knowledge is changing quickly, and the evolution is almost
impossible  to  follow.  Computerization,  sharing,  connectivity  are  basic  elements  of  any
process  whose  interest  is  to  develop  program  of  training  or  simply  dissemination  of
knowledge  that  uses  such  an  elementary  tool  as  a  computer  game  aims  to  experience
moments of motivation,  creativity,  absorption of knowledge and several others that make
possible  the expansion of  the communication  network and decrease of  the  difficulties  of
relationship among individuals.
This paper proposes a game to inform young people about energy sources in general, and
draw  parallels  between  them,  showing  that  nuclear  energy  is  competitive  and  viable,
removing stereotypes that surround this type of energy.
2.  MAIN TARGET
Develop an educational  and dissemination  tool  that  can  present  concepts  about  the main
energy sources,  their  impacts  and their  externalities.  That  helps  the nuclear  sector  in  the
process of demystification and contextualizing in a real but responsible way among the others
energy sources that makes up the Brazilian’s energy matrix.
3.  THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
3.1.  Brazilian Energy Matrix
The Brazilian’s energy matrix is one of the cleanest on the planet. Almost half of the energy
(47%) consumed here is renewable, that is, from resources capable of rebuilding in a short
period. The number is highlighted when compared to the world energy matrix, which in 2007
consisted of 82% of fossil fuels. 
3.1.1.  Hydro power
Generated mainly from hydroelectric  dams, is  a clean,  renewable,  non-emitting source of
energy that provides low-cost electricity and helps reduce carbon emissions.
3.1.2.  Fossil fuel-fired power
Generated mainly from a fossil fuel fired, it is not clean, and it is not renewable energy source
as well. It Emits gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. It is an expensive source, but
it is easy and quick to get.
3.1.3.  Wind power
It  describes  the  process  by  which  the  wind  is  used  to  generate  mechanical  power  or
electricity. As Hydropower, it is clean, renewable, non-emitting source of energy.  
3.1.4.  Solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity. Just like Hydropower
and the Wind Power, it is clean, renewable, non-emitting source of energy.  
3.1.5.  Nuclear power
Some  particularly  large  atoms  can  split  in  two  (or fission),  releasing  a  shockingly  large
amount of energy. When these atoms were arranged properly in a machine, one splitting atom
can cause nearby ones to split, creating a chain reaction. Such a machine is called a nuclear
reactor, and can convert the nuclear energy into electricity. It is a clean energy source but not
renewable since now. 
3.2. Virtual Reality
The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both ‘virtual’ and
‘reality’. The definition of ‘virtual’ is near and reality is what we experience as human beings.
So  the  term  ‘virtual  reality’ basically  means  ‘near-reality’.  This  could,  of  course,  mean
anything but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation.
INAC 2017, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
4.  THE GAME DEVELOPMENT
4.1.  The Main Tool
Any computer game needs a game development tool to be created.
The tool used to create the game about externalities of energy sources was Unity 3D, because 
it presented simple features of easy application.
Figure 1:  Game development view using Unity 3D.
4.2.  The Public Target
Although the game can be played by people of all ages, there was a concern to target a public
still in elementary school, but age classification would only become more evident after the
approach with teachers. It  was evidenced that children over 10 years old and adolescents
would be within the group capable of giving the desired response by game designers, which
is to disseminate the idea that nuclear energy is a real and concrete possibility within the
universe of the Brazilian’s energy matrix.
4.3.  The First Approach
Before submitting the game to the target audience, that is, children and adolescents, we try to
know if it can be considered as a learning tool to be even used by educators. For this we took
the game for these professionals to evaluate it. The results presented in this paper will be
based on information obtained from these teachers.
4.3.1.  The survey 
As  a  learning  tool,  the  proposed  Game  should  be  evaluated  by  teachers.  These  have
competence to characterize it  with an object of teaching and classify it within the school
universe.  In  this  way,  primary  and  secondary  school  teachers  are  being  heard.  The  data
analyzed here introduce the first phase of this research. This first phase was, in fact, a phase
of the research tool’s adaptation, where it was tried to identify how the approach with the
teachers should be done, that is, what the questions and presentation material would be.
Primarily, the research was composed of 8 questions to observe the application of the game as
a learning object and how much repositories of learning objects are really used, to verify the
effectiveness in leaving the game published in these platforms. In this paper only the issues
that deal with the applicability of the game will be discussed.
INAC 2017, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
4.3.2.  The issues
The three issues discussed here are: 
 Do you use learning object in your classes?
 Do you use any learning object repository?
 Do you think the game presented can be used as a learning object?
4.3.2.1. The first issue
Figure 2:  How many teachers are using learning object in classes.
4.3.2.2.  The second issue
Figure 3:  How many teachers are using learning object repository.
4.3.2.3.  The third issue
Figure 4:  The game presented can be used as a learning object.
5.  RESULTS
5.1.  The Game
After 6 months of work, the game about externalities of energy sources already has 3 forms
of presentation: Windows, Android and Virtual Reality.
It is true that the latter is still in development, but certainly it is playable. The game is now in
the test phase of both computing routines and information contents. Because of this, teachers
INAC 2017, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
are being heard and invited to suggest ideas and contents to improve and to leave the game
closer to its goal, which is to take information and help overturn myths, especially about
nuclear energy.
5.2.  The Survey
A first fact to be noted in the first issue is that the question was probably poorly formulated.
As it was posed by some researched people, everything used in the classroom is an object of
learning, so there is a need for a higher specification, for example, asking if the teacher uses a
digital learning object in the classroom.
The  second  issue  also  shows  an  important  fact  that  many  teachers  still  do  not  know
repositories of learning objects and how much they can improve their classes.
And finally, the third issue demonstrates the applicability and consequently the success in
offering the game as an object of learning for fundamental students.
6. CONCLUSIONS 
This work is just beginning, but what seems to be already well evidenced is that the game
about energy source externalities can be presented as a learning object. But the suggestions
should be implemented before the game be presented again to teachers. Once approved by the
teachers, it can be taken to the students so that their effectiveness is really evaluated.
The evaluation issues also needs to be reformulated to improve the quality of the responses
and consequently present results that best represent the author's goals.
REFERENCES
1. GOLDSTONE, W.  Unity 3.x Game Development Essentials. 2. ed. Nova Iorque: Packt
Publishing, 2011, 488p.. 
2.  INTERNATIONAL  ATOMIC  ENERGY  AGENCY.  “The  nuclear  power  industry’s
ageing workforce: Transfer of knowledge to the next generation” . IAEA-TECDOC-1399
- Vienna, Austria (2004).
3.  “Who  Will  Replace  Nuclear  Power's  Aging  Work  Force?,”http://www.power-
eng.com/articles/npi/print/volume-8/issue-1/nucleus/who-will-replace-nuclear-power-s-
aging-work-force.html (2015).
4. TAROUCO, L. M. R.; COSTA, V. M.;”Objetos de Aprendizagem: Teoria e Prática”, 
Evangraf,Porto Alegre – Brasil, 2014.
INAC 2017, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.


THE USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY AS AN INFORMATION TOOL ON EXTERNALITIES OF ENERGY SOURCES

http://carpedien.ien.gov.br:8080/bitstream/ien/2149/1/ARTIGO%20INAC%205.pdf

THE USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY AS AN INFORMATION TOOL ON EXTERNALITIES OF ENERGY SOURCES

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