Integrating Simulation Games and Virtual Reality to Teach Manufacturing Systems Concepts

Abstract

Simulation games can be a catalyst for understanding manufacturing systems concepts among engineering students. Integrating manufacturing simulations with virtual reality (VR) allows students to visualize, manipulate and interact with computers and extremely complex data. This paper discusses the use of simulation to teach manufacturing concepts. We developed five physical simulation games for the different manufacturing environments (i.e., craft production, mass production, lean production, mass customization, and personalized production). We then developed corresponding digital simulations and integrated them with virtual reality technology. This paper focuses on the development of a virtual reality simulation for craft production. Manufacturing concepts such as inventory planning, production scheduling, and process improvement (Lean and Six Sigma methodologies) will also be considered. By comparing physical simulations with virtual reality environments, this paper provides insights into the applicability of virtual reality technologies in the education domain. Research activities will be integrated into undergraduate courses on manufacturing systems to support problem-solving skill development among students.

Head‐mounted display‐based virtual reality systems in engineering education: A review of recent research

“…Perhaps the broadest application of HMD VR in engineering‐related skill training was virtual assembly and manufacture. The virtually assembled objects shown in the literature included a turbine system [64], an automotive system [53], manufacturing systems [5], an airplane wing [15], industrial objects on a bus assembly line [3], pneumatic circuits [48], and medical devices [23]. It was expected that learners could not only master the skills of assembly and manufacture but also gain familiarity with concepts related to the assembled or manufactured systems during the training process.…”

“…Common qualitative methods included behavioral observation in real time [4,21,49,61,69] or with video recording software [56,60], interviews and focus groups [21,25,26,42,43,49,60], open questions in survey [7,8,41,57,61], and case studies [59,66]. Quantitative data tended to include task completion time [5,8,23,41,43‐45], survey ratings [1,3,4,6‐9,14,23,33,41,44,47,49,51,64,69], and exam scores [2,23,43,45,49,51,56,58] to assess participants' performance and the effectiveness of HMD VR systems.…”

“…Figure 4 shows the data analytic methods used in these evaluations. Many evaluations reported only descriptive statistics [1,2,4,5,9,14,23,43‐45,57]. Other data analytic methods included t ‐test and χ 2 test [6,33,64], analyses of variance (ANOVAs) or multivariate ANOVAs (MANOVAs) [49,56], correlation analysis [56], regression [61], content analysis [25,49], video, or observation analysis [56,59,63,66,69].…”

“…With regard to learning, several studies explored overall effectiveness, referring to whether participants successfully learned the target knowledge or skills. The measures can be objective or subjective: task completion time [5,8,23,41,43‐45], exam score [2,23,43,45,49,51,56,58], perceived learning, effectiveness, and efficiency [23,25,41,61].…”

“…These applications include a game that only allowed the player to click buttons to control the application [41] and an application that used visualization to help novice programmers understand the structure of codes [43,44]. It is worth mentioning that individuals might have difficulties when navigating a VR environment for the first time [45,60], which might lead to a longer task completion time than the control group in the physical world, even when using motion tracking [5]. Fortunately, these initial challenges can fade away gradually [60].…”