This content will become publicly available on January 4, 2025
- Award ID(s):
- 2202610
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10520002
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 978-981-99-8404-6
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Robotics Training · Virtual Reality · Game-based Learning · Adaptive Learning Systems
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Shanghai, China
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
null (Ed.)Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technology, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and Robotic Automation is transforming jobs in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries. However, it is also expected that these technologies will lead to job displacement, alter skill profiles for existing jobs, and change how people work. Therefore, preparing the workforce for an economy defined by these technologies is imperative. This ongoing research focuses on developing an immersive learning training curriculum to prepare the future workforce of the building industry. In this paper we are demonstrating a prototype of a mobile AR application to deliver lessons for training in robotic automation for construction industry workers. The application allows a user to interact with a virtual robot manipulator to learn its basic operations. The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of the AR application by gauging participants' performance using pre and post surveys.more » « less
-
Purpose The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence indicates current communication practices fail to meet the requirements of increasingly complex projects. With the advent of Industry 4.0, a trend is noted to create a digital communication environment between stakeholders. Identified as a central technology in Industry 4.0, virtual reality (VR) has the potential to supplement current communication and facilitate the digitization of the AEC industry. This paper aims to explore how VR has been applied and future research directions for communication purpose. Design/methodology/approach This research follows a systematic literature assessment methodology to summarize the results of 41 research articles in the last 15 years and outlines the applications of VR in facilitating communication in the AEC domain. Findings Relevant VR applications are mainly found in building inspection, facility management, safety training, construction education and design and review. Communication tools and affordance are provided or built in several forms: text-based tools, voice chat tool, visual sharing affordance and avatars. Objective and subjective communication assessments are observed from those publications. Originality/value This review contributes to identifying the recent employment areas and future research directions of VR to facilitate communication in the AEC domain. The outcome can be a practical resource to guide both industry professionals and researchers to recognize the potentials of VR and will ultimately facilitate the creation of digital construction environments.more » « less
-
Ahram, Tareq ; Karwowski, Waldemar (Ed.)
AI, robotics, and automation are reshaping many industries, including the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. For students aiming to enter these evolving fields, comprehensive and accessible training in high-tech roles is becoming increasingly important. Traditional robotics education, while often effective, usually necessitates small class sizes and specialized equipment. On-the-job training introduces safety risks, particularly for inexperienced individuals. The integration of advanced technologies for training presents an alternative that reduces the need for extensive physical resources and minimizes safety concerns. This paper introduces the Intelligent Learning Platform for Robotics Operations (IL-PRO), an innovative project that integrates the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and game-assisted learning for teaching robotic arms operations. The goal of this project is to address the limitations of traditional training through the implementation of personalized learning strategies supported by Adaptive Learning Systems (ALS). These systems hold the potential to transform education by customizing content to cater to various levels of understanding, preferred learning styles, past experiences, and diverse linguistic and socio-cultural backgrounds.Central to IL-PRO is the development of its ALS, which uses student progress variables and multimodal machine learning to infer students’ level of understanding and automate task and feedback delivery. The curriculum is organized into modules, starting with fundamental robotic concepts, and advancing to complex motion planning and programming. The curriculum is guided by a learner model that is continuously refined through data collection. Furthermore, the project incorporates gaming elements into its VR learning approach to create an engaging educational environment. Thus, the learning content is designed to engage students with simulated robots and input devices to solve sequences of game-based challenges. The challenge sequences are designed similarly to levels in a game, each with increasing complexity, in order to systematically incrementally build students' knowledge, skills, and confidence in robotic operations. The project is conducted by a team of interdisciplinary faculty from Florida International University (FIU), the University of California Irvine (UCI), the University of Hawaii (UH) and the University of Kansas-Missouri (UKM). The collaboration between these institutions enables the sharing of resources and expertise that are essential for the development of this comprehensive learning platform.
-
The educational applications of extended reality (XR) modalities, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), have increased significantly over the last ten years. Many educators within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) related degree programs see student benefits that could be derived from bringing these modalities into classrooms, which include but are not limited to: a better understanding of each of the subdisciplines and the coordination necessary between them, visualizing oneself as a professional in AEC, and visualization of difficult concepts to increase engagement, self-efficacy, and learning. These benefits, in turn, help recruitment and retention efforts for these degree programs. However, given the number of technologies available and the fact that they quickly become outdated, there is confusion about the definitions of the different XR modalities and their unique capabilities. This lack of knowledge, combined with limited faculty time and lack of financial resources, can make it overwhelming for educators to choose the right XR modality to accomplish particular educational objectives. There is a lack of guidance in the literature for AEC educators to consider various factors that affect the success of an XR intervention. Grounded in a comprehensive literature review and the educational framework of the Model of Domain Learning, this paper proposes a decision-making framework to help AEC educators select the appropriate technologies, platforms, and devices to use for various educational outcomes (e.g., learning, interest generation, engagement) considering factors such as budget, scalability, space/equipment needs, and the potential benefits and limitations of each XR modality. To this end, a comprehensive review of the literature was performed to decipher various definitions of XR modalities and how they have been previously utilized in AEC Education. The framework was then successfully validated at a summer camp in the School of Building Construction at Georgia Institute of Technology, highlighting the importance of using appropriate XR technologies depending on the educational context.more » « less
-
The emerging convergence research emphasizes integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and forming novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation, not only multidisciplinary, but interdisciplinary and further transdisciplinary. Mechatronics matches this new trend of convergence engineering research for deep integration across disciplines such as mechanics, electronics, control theory, robotics, and production manufacturing, and is also inspired by its active means of addressing a specific challenge or opportunity for societal needs. The most current applications of mechatronics in automotive are e-mobility (electric vehicles, EV) and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV); in manufacturing are robotics and smart-factory; and in aerospace are drones, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and advanced avionics. The growing mechatronics industries demand high quality workforces with multidiscipline knowledge and training. These workforces can come from the graduates of colleges and universities with updated curricula, or from labors returning to schools or taking new training programs. Graduate schools can prepare higher level workforces that can carry out fundamental research and explore new technologies in mechatronics. K-12 schools will also play an important role in fostering the next-decade workforces for all the STEM area. On the other hand, the development of mechatronics technologies improves the tools for teaching mechatronics as well. These new teaching tools include affordable microcontrollers and the peripherals such as Arduinos, and Raspberry Pi, desktop 3D printers, and virtual reality (VR). In this paper we present the working processes and activities of a current one-year ECR project funded by NSF organizing two workshops held by two institutes for improving workforce development environments specified in mechatronics. Each workshop is planned to be two days, where the first day will be dedicated to the topics of the current workforce situation in industry, the current pathways for workforces, conventional college and university workforce training, and K-12 STEM education preparation in mechatronics. The topics in the second day will be slightly different based on the expertise and locations of the two institutes. One will focus on the mechatronics technologies in production engineering for alternative energy and ground mobility, and the other will concentrate on aerospace, alternative energy, and the corresponding applications. Both workshops will also address the current technical development of teaching methods and tools for mechatronics. VR will be specially emphasized and demonstrated in the workshops if the facilities allow. Social impacts of mechatronics technology, expansion of diversity and participation of underrepresented groups will be discussed in the workshops. We expect to have the results of the workshops to present in the annual ASEE conference in June.more » « less