Development of an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Soil Mechanics Laboratory
Mohammadhossein Afsharipour, Pooneh Maghoul, Joan Roca
In the proceedings of: GeoSaskatoon 2023: 76th Canadian Geotechnical ConferenceSession: Innovative Geotechnical
ABSTRACT: The integration of laboratory testing into engineering mechanics courses has been constrained by various factors, including limited time for each session and a large number of students in soil mechanics courses. Expensive equipment and the need for maintenance further restrict students' hands-on experience. However, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) offer cost-effective solutions to enhance students' understanding of course material. AR/VR applications and head-mounted displays are increasingly gaining popularity among Generation Z and Generation Alpha students. Integrating these tools into the classroom can hence significantly enhance student engagement and participation in the learning process. This paper explores the use of AR/VR models developed with Blender to simulate soil mechanics laboratory testing, and help students interact with virtual objects and soil samples. Through these models, students can observe 3D representations (digital twins) of soil samples under various loading conditions, enhancing their comprehension of laboratory testing principles.
RÉSUMÉ: L'intégration des essais de laboratoire dans les cours de géotechnique a été entravée par divers facteurs, notamment le temps limité pour chaque session et un grand nombre d'étudiants. Cependant, la réalité virtuelle (RV) et la réalité augmentée (RA) offrent des solutions pour améliorer la compréhension des étudiants sur le matériel du cours. Les applications de RA/RV et les dispositifs de réalité virtuelle sont de plus en plus populaires parmi les étudiants. L'intégration de ces outils en classe peut donc considérablement améliorer l'engagement et la participation des étudiants dans le processus d'apprentissage. Cet article explore l'utilisation de modèles de RA/RV développés avec Blender pour simuler les essais de laboratoire en mécanique des sols et aider les étudiants à interagir avec des objets virtuels et des échantillons de sol. Grâce à ces modèles, les étudiants peuvent observer des représentations en 3D d'échantillons de sol dans différentes conditions de charge, ce qui améliore leur compréhension des principes des essais de laboratoire.
Submit a Data Update Form for this paper
Please include this code when submitting a data update via other methods: GEO2023_147
Access this article:
Canadian Geotechnical Society members can access to this article, along with all other Canadian Geotechnical Conference proceedings, in the Member Area. Conference proceedings are also available in many libraries.
Cite this article:
Afsharipour, Mohammadhossein, Maghoul, Pooneh, Roca, Joan (2023) Development of an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Soil Mechanics Laboratory in GEO2023. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@inproceedings{Afsharipour_GEO2023_147,
author = {{Afsharipour, Mohammadhossein}, {Maghoul, Pooneh}, {Roca, Joan}}
title = {Development of an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Soil Mechanics Laboratory }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }
title = {Development of an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Soil Mechanics Laboratory }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }