Virtual environments (VEs) offer potential benefits to health and safety training: exposure to dangerous (virtual) environments; the opportunity for experiential learning; and a high level of control over the training, in that aspects can be repeated or reviewed based on the trainee's performance. However, VEs are typically presented as audiovisual (AV) systems, whereas engagement of other senses could increase the immersion in the virtual experience. Moreover, other senses play a key role in certain health and safety contexts, for example the feel of heat and smell in a fire or smell in a fuel leak. A multisensory (MS) VE was developed, which provided simulated heat and smell in accordance with events in a virtual world. As users approached a virtual fire, they felt heat from three 2 kW heaters and smelled smoke from a scent diffuser. Behaviours in the MS VE demonstrated higher validity than those in a comparable AV VE, which ratings and verbatim responses indicated was down to a greater belief that participants were in a real fire. However, a study of the effectiveness of the MS VE as a training tool demonstrated that it did not offer benefits over AV as measured by a written knowledge test and subjective ratings of engagement, attitude towards health and safety and desire to repeat. However, the study found further evidence for the use of AV VEs in health and safety training, particularly as the subjective ratings were generally better than for PowerPoint based training. Despite the lack of evidence for MS simulation on traditional measures of training, the different attitudes and experiences of users suggest that it may have value as a system for changing trainees' attitudes towards their personal safety and awareness. This view was supported by feedback from industrial partners.
翻译:虚拟环境(Ves)为健康和安全培训提供了潜在的好处:接触危险的(虚拟)环境;体验学习的机会;对培训的高度控制,因为可以根据受训者的表现重复或审查培训的各个方面;然而,Ves通常以视听(AV)系统的形式出现,而其他感官的参与则会增加虚拟经验的沉浸。此外,其他感官在某些健康和安全环境中发挥着关键作用,例如,在火灾中感受到热和嗅觉或燃料泄漏的气味。开发了多感官VE,根据虚拟世界的事件提供模拟热量和嗅觉。随着用户接近虚拟火灾,他们感到3千瓦热量,而嗅闻到的烟雾散发。MS Ve的行为比可比AV VE的行为更有效,评级和逐字记录表明参与者在真实的火灾中感觉和嗅觉。然而,对MSV作为培训工具的功效的研究显示,这种认识在虚拟世界中显示,参与度的数值和嗅觉水平一般而言,对于健康水平的测为A级和高级水平的测试,因此,通过对AV的测测测测测测结果,对于对健康水平和高级培训进行了进一步评价。