Page 184 - IMPC Education Book_low res

MINERALS INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND TRAINING II

Introduction

Virtual reality (VR) is the creation of an artificial environment that is
experienced through sights and sounds provided by a computer (Squelch,
2001). The simulated environment is achieved through a technologies such
as 3D graphics, audio feedback, and special peripheral devices to produce
interactive environments.

Virtual reality has been used in diverse fields including medicine (Riener
& Harder, 2012), entertainment (Hsu, 2011), military (Manojlovich,
Prasithsangaree, Hughes, Chen, & Lewis, 2003), manufacturing
(Zimmermann, 2008; Jiang, 2011), and chemical processing (Schofield,
Lester, & Wilson 2005; Squires, Andersen, Reklaitis, Jayakumar, &
Carmichael, 2014). Virtual reality is also becoming the recognized
delivery system for education in many fields, including engineering (Bell
& Fogler, 1996, 1998; Shin, 2002). For example, VR laboratories have
been designed and developed to teach students fundemental features
of heterogeneous catalytic mechanisms and absorption columns (Bell
& Fogler, 1995), the multi-phase and multi-component blast furnace
iron making process (Babich & Senk, 2009), and to guide students to
identify various safety measures while working in real laboratory (Bell
& Fogler, 1996).

The School of Mining Engineering at the University of New South
Wales (UNSW), Australia has developed and deployed immersive,
interactive simulations within the mining engineering education sector at
undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Virtual underground and open-
cut mines have been developed, where students can experience various
aspects of a mining operation and assess the feasibility of different mine
design options (Laurence & Stothard, 2010). VR modules have also been
developed to traincoal mine workers and raise community awareness
(Mitra & Saydam, 2011; Saydam, Mitra, & Russell, 2011). These modules y
focus primarily on understanding mine environment hazards, identifying
and eliminating hazards sources, and reducing risks through taking
appropriate action to rectify a situation.

Innovative Practice in Mineral
172 Section 5
Processing Education