Kenneth Ogbeifun

In recent years, there is an increasing attempt to use AR/VR/MR technologies for training frontline employees such as pilots, cabin crew, engineers etc. Many applications aim to develop simulations with computer generated images (CGI) to enable the user to immerse him/herself in an operational environment (i.e. being in the flight deck or any other part of the aircraft) and provide a rather interactive experience (i.e. by using hand controllers of a VR Google, the user can control various switches in the cockpit or cabin and see the effects etc.) However, these applications require considerable amount of resources and skills to develop such content for the users to explore by a VR goggle. An alternative method of using VR goggles is also to record tutorial sessions in an operational environment such as in the cockpit or cabin or a specific area of the aircraft for maintainers by using 360-degree cameras. Subsequently, such videos can be used to supplement in-class training to give the trainees the opportunity to have an immersive experience with higher quality visuals.

Cranfield University students studying MSc Safety and Human Factors in Aviation, have been focusing on such use cases during their research projects. The proposed presentations will briefly introduce the various use cases across the industry but then focus on one of these projects where such 360-degree videos were used in an experimental study to measure the engagement and knowledge retention of the participants. We will also discuss how we use such content during our own teaching to capture the feedback from the students about the potential limitations of this approach and the implementation challenges and enablers.