Development & Evaluation of a Virtual Reality-Based Game Environment for Training of Tunnel Construction Professionals

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