Virtual Reality for Immersive Multi-User Firefighter Training Scenarios

Autor: Philipp Braun, Michaela Grafelmann, Felix Gill, Hauke Stolz, Johannes Hinckeldeyn, Ann-Kathrin Lange
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Virtual Reality & Intelligent Hardware, Vol 4, Iss 5, Pp 406-417 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2096-5796
DOI: 10.1016/j.vrih.2022.08.006
Popis: Virtual Reality (VR) applications are tools used to provide comprehensive training scenarios that are difficult or impossible to represent in physical configurations. This includes team training for emergency services, e.g. in firefighting. To achieve effective virtual training, creating a high level of immersion is essential. In that respect, motion capture systems offer the possibility to create highly immersive multi-user training experiences including full-body avatars. This work presents a preliminary prototype that enables the extinguishing of a fire on a container ship as a VR training scenario. The prototype provides a full-body and multi-user VR experience, based on the synthesis of position data provided by the motion capture system and orientation data from the VR headsets. As a consequence, the prototype allows an initial evaluation of results. The results confirm the value of using VR to train procedures that are difficult to train in the real world. Furthermore, the results show that motion capture based VR technologies are particularly useful for firefighting training, in which participants can collaborate in otherwise difficult-to-access environments. However, the work also illustrates that increasing the immersion of such training remains a challenge.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals