Abstract:
The ability of virtual reality (VR) to provide an engaging and immersive
experience has led to its rapid adoption in the medical and automotive industries for
assembly and maintenance activities. VR has proven to be a beneficial tool in
architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education and training, with the
purpose of leaving a long-lasting effect on users' learning and experience. Traditionally,
professional skills development trainings are delivered in lecture-based settings using
paper-based or PowerPoint-based materials. Due to the monotony of the lengthy,
repetitive lectures, trainees in such environments frequently lose interest in their
training. Tunnel construction professionals must be trained for assembly tasks in order
to successfully complete the tunnel boring machine (TBM) assembling phase on site.
This is due to the fact that TBM components are typically transported in pieces to the
construction site, where they are assembled and made operational. In this research, a
Virtual Reality-based game environment of TBM assembly was developed using the
Unity 3D game engine. The game was created by integrating a 3D model of a TBM
into an interactive simulation of a tunnel building site. The proposed VR-based training
system was validated by comparing it to the traditional paper-based training medium.48 volunteers were recruited, and the experiment was done in two rounds, utilizing both
paper-based and virtual reality-based sessions. Using a questionnaire survey, responses
from respondents were obtained. Using a nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test,
differences between the two mediums were examined. Compared to paper-based
teaching mediums, virtual reality-based training mediums performed exceptionally
well, according to the results. The proposed VR-training medium was further validated
using a system usability scale, which awarded the system a high score indicating its
satisfactory usability
