Virtual Collaboration Arena, Platform for Research, Development and Education

The VirCA system (Virtual Collaboration Arena) is a component based, 3D interactive virtual environment for ambient supervision of robots and other hardware or software devices. This software framework provides a basis for modular robotic system development with a kind of augmented collaboration in 3D virtual world. The paper presents the conceptual background of VirCA, the build-up and operation of the system as well as the possible fields of application. The experiences raised in the course of a VirCA training and the possible improvement trends are also going to be reviewed.