Implementation and evaluation of a VR task-based training tool for conveyor belt safety training

Conveyor belts are dangerous to the working environment and the source of many injuries and fatalities that end up costing the industry a lot of money. In order to reduce the injuries that occur on an annual basis, better training techniques are examined. Virtual reality is examined as a way to enhance current training practices that consist mainly of slide show presentations and videos. Virtual reality is examined for task-based training where the user can interact with a working environment safely. The user is given tasks to complete within the virtual environment similar to tasks a worker would have to complete on a day to day basis. The purpose of the program is to be a method of rapidly training younger miners while supplementing on-the-job training practices and ultimately reduce accidents. The model was developed using CAD software and then imported into Deep Creator’s Right Hemisphere where animations were added and functions were programmed to objects. The user’s performance is tracked through the use of LISP programming and scores are tallied to judge user performance. The application was tested for quality of information, usability, and learning potential over other training methods.This paper is an expansion of a paper presented at the CONVR 2007 conference at Penn State University, State College, PA, USA on October 22-23, 2007 (Lucas and Thabet, 2007).

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