Generic and reconfigurable virtual reality simulation system

Abstract

Typically, industrial equipment virtual simulators lack flexibility to adapt to new requirements or needs and usually are made with a specific objective in mind. Therefore, there is the need to develop Virtual Reality (VR) simulators with sufficiently dynamic bases so that the training manager can configure and simulate a set of different machines, without needing expensive development processes that usually result in the reformulation of the developed system foundations in order to adapt to new needs. This paper proposes a generic and reconfigurable virtual reality system, capable of simulating the operation of different types of machines and suitable to be used in the training of workers for the operation of the various machines, for instance the ones present in an entire production line. The proposed approach is based on the use of a specification language that describes both the physical and behavioral characteristics of the machines to be simulated. A specification file, written using this language, is fed to the VR simulator that interprets its content and builds, automatically, the corresponding virtual reality environment, which can be used by the trainees to operate the machine(s). This approach allows using the same VR simulator to simulate any machine. A prototype of the VR system was built and applied in a test scenario. The results reveal that the development of systems with dynamic bases is promising and deserving of future work to build a more complete and flexible VR simulation system.