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Research Article
ISSN: 2574 -1241 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
Virtual Reality Technologies: Analysis of their
Application in Electronics Engineering Career Programs
G Perissutti and L Ubiedo*
Electronic engineering student at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN), Facultad Regional Paraná (FRP), Argentina
*Corresponding author: Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo, Electronic engineering student at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN),
Facultad Regional Paraná (FRP), Paraná, 3100, Argentina
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492. 45406
ABSTRACT
Many problems have arisen in traditional electronics engineering education because of the Coronavirus
lockdown. Although these problems have not been solved yet, this paper analyses the use of virtual reality
(VR) technologies as a possible teaching resource to solve them. Even though VR devices are relatively new in
and its drawbacks. Summarizing the results, hybrid learning (by means of conventional and virtual reality
systems) presents some advantages to traditional learning. However, more research must be done in order to
evince these new devices as an improvement in engineering education.
Keywords: Index Terms Education; Engineering; Teaching; Virtual Reality
Abbreviations:
Reality; SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals; VLE: VR- Based Learning Environment; VRH: Virtual Reality
Headsets; CAVE: Cave Automatic Virtual Environment; AR: Augmented Reality
ARTICLE INFO
Received: November 26, 2023
Published: December 08, 2023
Citation: G Perissutti and L Ubiedo.
Virtual Reality Technologies: Analysis
of their Application in Electronics En-
gineering Career Programs. Biomed
J Sci & Tech Res 54(1)-2023. BJSTR.
MS.ID.008492.
Introduction
In the early 2020s, a virus called SARS-CoV-2 made most coun-
tries in the world decide to implement strict social containment
measures, such as the closure of educational institutions. The United
states that, because of the pandemic, during April 2020, 92.32% of
the schools were completely or partially closed [1] and the use of
computers as a tool for education at different levels has been man-
datory since then [2]. Since education has been carried out through
online lessons, highly complex career programs like electronic engi-
neering have found a number of problems. As a result of the lack of
access to face-to-face interaction in the development of practical or
laboratory assignments, students have failed to acquire important
self- learning, and leadership. Considering this, it is not possible to
teach remotely everything an engineering student needs to graduate
using current methods. This is where virtual reality comes in as a tool
the article of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as an experi-
ence in which the user is immersed in a responsive virtual world [3].
This paper is in line with one of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) [4], adopted by the United Nations in 2015, which is ensuring
Quality Education. Achieving inclusive and quality education for all
emphasizes the belief that education is one of the most powerful and
proven tools for attaining sustainable development. This research
searches for the improvement of education through the implementa-
tion of VR technologies.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of VR in elec-
tronics engineering career programs. To achieve this aim, this paper
is organized as follows. Section II describes the present issues in the
current lockdown in an electronic engineering educational context.
Section III states the reasons for the use of VR in engineering career
programs. Section IV analyzes the VR at present, in this part the edu-
cational and economic constraints to implement VR technologies are
-
ferent, and very popular, VR systems. Finally, section V will show some
examples of their uses and their results in education. After introduc-
ing current examples of the use of these technologies in education,
the conclusion presents the main ideas to round up the discussion
about the implementation of VR in engineering career programs. The
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492.
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
45407
present paper is part of the research activities in the Inglés II lesson
at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Facultad Regional Paraná. Stu-
dents are asked to research into a topic to shed light on a topic of their
interest within the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Chal-
lenges or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals frame-
works. If sources have not been well paraphrased or credited, it might
be due to student’s developing intercultural communicative compe-
tence rather than a conscious intention to plagiarize a text. Should the
reader have any questions regarding this work, please contact Gracie-
la Yugdar Tófalo, Senior Lecturer, at.
Eects of the Lockdown on Students of Electronics
Engineering
The lockdown, due to SARS-CoV-2, brought complications to elec-
tronics engineering students. Numerous reports of colleges show the
impact of COVID 19 on university students, revealing the increase of
stress level, feelings of anxiety and depression in students [5]. In gen-
eral, according to a study carried out by the ChangZhi Medical College,
when faced with public health problems, the mental health of univer-
sity students suffers greatly, and they require the attention, assistance,
and support of society, families, and colleges, this is related to the fact
that about 24.9% of the students have experienced anxiety due to
this COVID-19 outbreak [6]. Moreover, numerous students are getting
lower grades as well as more failed tests than before [7]. According
to our own experience as students of electronics engineering during
the pandemic and the experience of our classmates, there are three
principal problems that can be the reasons for the issues described
most of their non-theoretical tasks in simulation software. It is known
that the practice in the real world is very different from the simulation
software because the electronics uses or relies on an ideal mathemat-
ical system. In other words, the use of simulation software does not
guarantee the same learning experience as the one that comes from
using real circuits. Secondly, students lack supervision while doing
their practical assignments or prototypes of circuits. This leads not
since undergraduates do not count on all the safety measures in their
home. The last problem is that these simulated practices are very far
into account, VR technologies arise to improve engineering students’
learning processes without breaking lockdown rules.
Reasons to use Virtual Reality in Engineering Career
Programs
This section tackles the issues mentioned in Section II, namely,
electronics engineering students doing most of their non-theoretical
tasks in a simulation software, lacking supervision during practical
assignments and the difference between simulated practices and the
-
dence of better learning responses using virtual tools. For example,
Koretsky [8] compared the use of physical and virtual laboratories
-
creases in categories of Experimental Design, Critical Thinking, and
Ambiguity in the virtual laboratories” [[8], p. 1]. The paper also men-
tions that “In a virtual laboratory, students do not interact with real
equipment to obtain data, but rather with computer simulations of
laboratory or industrial process equipment” [[8], p. 2]. This helps the
students work with the equipment that is used in the work environ-
instruments that is a common fear among students because they have
never used that equipment before. Another reason that supports the
use of VR is the cognitive load. According to the cognitive load theo-
ry, cognitive load is the combined measure of mental energy invested
in the working memory during learning [[9], p. 12]. Cognitive load
is divided into three categories: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane
way [10]:
• Intrinsic cognitive load is the cumulative effort connected
with the complexity of the topic.
• Extraneous cognitive load is associated with the instruction-
al design and depends on the method by which material is
being offered to the student.
• -
quired to create an everlasting pool of knowledge.
As reported by Chitkara University [10], a virtual reality- based
learning environment (VLE) can enhance educational design by com-
bining it with technology design, reducing extraneous cognitive load
while also reducing germane cognitive load indirectly. Another paper
-
ton’s World and Maxwell’s World, where students have the possibility
of experiencing Maxwell and Newton’s Laws in a multisensory envi-
ronment. This paper shows how VR can easily present very complex
concepts, like the abstract idea that a punctual charge can generate
When VR is not used, the common way of presenting Maxwell and
Newton’s Law is through equations and graphics that sometimes are
not very clear for the students that are exposed to those concepts for
World, help understand complex topics can be backed up by two stud-
demonstrated, even though 2D representation of 3D space is the pre-
dominant medium to understand and communicate spatial arrange-
ments, that designers’ understanding of complex volumes and their
spatial relationships is enhanced within a VR setting [[12], p. 10].
VR technologies make the visualization of concepts through 3D
representation possible, which are easier to understand than 2D rep-
resentations in complex cases. Since Newton’s World and Maxwell’s
World comprise main topics which are taught in electronics engi-
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492. 45408
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
neering career programs, it is evident that, by using this technology,
the teaching and learning processes will be more valuable. Moreover,
they can be used to explain other invisible phenomena, such as the
In the second one, Kollöffel and de Jong [13] study the acquisition
of conceptual understanding using virtual methods. These authors
point out that: Results showed that students in the virtual lab con-
on procedural skills. In particular, students in this condition scored
higher on solving complex problems [[13], p. 1]. Both challenging con-
into account, it can be observed that there is a minimal amount of
evidence showing that using VR- based learning environment (VLE)
is superior to using only traditional methods. However, this evidence
is enough to consider VLE as a possible solution to the problems men-
tioned before.
Analysis of Virtual Reality
In this section, the educational and economic constraints on VR
-
tives of this section is to analyse the considerations that should be
taken into account before the implementation of some kind of VR
technologies in education. The other topic of this section is the de-
scription of three of the most popular VR technologies that are used
in education today. These are: Virtual Reality Headsets, Augmented
Reality and Cave Automatic Virtual Environment.
Educational and Economic Constraints
been some problems that may hold back its advance. One of the sub-
stantial obstacles is the cost of implementing VR systems [14], which
high cost of the devices. Since VR is a relatively new technology and
stable and high for years. The second one is the cost of the training
courses that personnel and teachers need to pay. If these people want
to use these technologies to its maximal potential, it is necessary to
improve their command. For example, Robot LAB is a company that
works with schools to support the integration of technology in teach-
ing and learning. However, since their teacher training courses are
year-long, the time and the cost of training need to be considered. As
Noureddine Elmqadde [15] states: An effective adoption of augment-
ed reality and virtual reality in education and learning will not hap-
pen until some technical and social issues are resolved and education
programs are more adapted to take full advantage of the potential of
these technologies [[15], p. 2]. The solution to these problems is that
all the members of the education should work together. In this way,
as time goes, by these technologies will be commonly used in educa-
tional contexts.
Current Popular Virtual Reality Tools
• Virtual Reality Headsets (VRH): Also called Head-Mounted
Displays [3], VRH are the most well-known VR devices since they
are used in the industry of videogames. Their most important
fact is the visual cancelation of external distractions. Since they
are superior to other devices, they give the user a feeling of im-
mersion. The main disadvantage of VRH is that they can be only
used by one person at a time. The average lowest price of them is
around US$70.
• Augmented Reality (AR): Augmented reality (AR) [16] is
an interactive experience of a real-world environment in which
computer- generated perceptual information enhances things
into reality. Its main advantage is that most devices with a camera
support AR. However, it does not give any sensation of immersion
to the user. If the user has a device that supports this technology,
its cost is free, making it the most accessible of all systems.
• Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE): A Cave Auto-
matic Virtual Setting (abbreviated
directed between three to six of the walls of a room-sized cube. Its
multiple users at a time. However, its cost is very high since it needs
multiple image- generation systems. The technologies presented here
are the most common ones, but there are others with lower costs than
can also work in some learning situations. The best option depends
on the needs of the learning situation.
Examples of Implementation of Virtual Reality in
Engineering Career Program
-
amples of VR use in education, particularly, in electronics engineering
low cost VRH. Robotics is one of the most important topics for the in-
dustry and it is for this reason that it is essential for electronics engi-
neering students. The second example is about enhancing electronics
engineering laboratory experiences with the implementation of a vir-
tual reality-based learning environment (VLE) to help students learn
how they must operate the oscilloscope and the function generator.
Teaching Robotic Programming Using Low Cost VRH
Every day there are more industries that use robots for tasks that
are repetitive and relatively easy. This change in the industry makes
more students interested in robotics, since they want to be ready for
the near future.
As reported by the article of University of Alicante [17], when it
comes to robotics classes, there are a few issues to consider from an
educational standpoint, some of them are:
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492.
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
45409
• Cost of robotic arms.
• Space required by robots.
• Safety problems due to inexperienced students.
Virtual reality can help solve these problems at a relatively low
cost. There are many different methods to teach robotics using VR,
but in this case the focus is over the system described in the research
paper of the University of Alicante [17]. According to this article,
the suggested approach comprises a bespoke simulator program
reality headset device connected to a smartphone that streams 3D
rendered video from the computer and sends head orientation data
to the simulator. (Figure 1) depicts the interconnection of various
components. In robotics, simulation allows users to create, visual-
ize, monitor, and execute safety checks as well as path planning. As
a result, users may build and test robotic cell settings in simulated
situations using a custom-made software simulation for robotic arms.
The simulation program was created to be as near to genuine indus-
trial robotic simulation software as feasible in terms of capabilities,
so students may have a better understanding of how robotics works
in real- world settings.
Figure 1: Schema of the proposed method.
The comparison of the simulation on VRH and the real world can
be seen on (Figure 2). The principal characteristic of this example of
VRH implementation in education relies on the very low cost of the
virtual reality headset. These headsets provide the image and the
sound of the virtual world to the user. They also send the orientation
and position information of who is using it to the computer. Howev-
er, because the price of one VRH is around US$100, it is expensive to
provide one to each student, but Google developed a solution. This
cardboard headset, a smartphone, and some lenses, recreate the VR
experience in a cheaper way. These glasses are available in many
models and for a very low price, for example, in (Figure 3) you can see
Figure 2: Real and simulated robotic cell.
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492. 45410
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
Figure 3: Google cardboard glasses.
Enhancing Electronics Engineering Laboratory Experienc-
es
In the research about virtual reality, done by G. Singh, A. Mantri, O.
Sharma, and R. Kaur of the Chitkara University, the implementation of
a virtual reality-based learning environment (VLE) for enhancing elec-
tronics engineering laboratory experiences is described [10]. In this
case, VR helps students learn how they must operate the oscilloscope
and the function generator. The VLE allows the student to engage with
-
ity to manage the technology. The VLE was created as a teaching tool
to help students be ready to practice with current equipment in an
analog electronics lab. The created VR system is an active learning
tool based on learner-centered design, in which the student is active-
ly involved in the learning process. Students can utilize a PC mouse
to interact with 3D representations of laboratory apparatus (Figure
4), which, when combined with the VR experience, will provide them
with previous instruction and immersive experience in operating the
hardware. This VLE allows students to see the different signals creat-
VR environment by twisting the relevant knobs on 3D models. The
use of VR technology in engineering laboratories has a substantially
of its application on electrical engineering students. The explanation
for these results is that when students used virtual reality, they were
less concerned about equipment failure, which increased their con-
equipment. These results imply that the VR experience aids students
in operating equipment, implying that the usage of VR technology in
engineering laboratories has a favorable impact on student cognition
(Figures 5-9) [10].
Figure 4: User view of the VLE.
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492.
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
45411
Figure 5: Student manipulating a source charge in Maxwell’s World.
Figure 6: 3D virtual representation (Left) and 2D traditional taught model (Right) of a dipole.
Figure 7: Child wearing a virtual reality headset.
Copyright@ : Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR.MS.ID.008492. 45412
Volume 54- Issue 1 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
Figure 8: Thermal monitoring with augmented reality.
Figure 9: U.S. army research lab’s omni-directional treadmill with CAVE.
Conclusion
This paper provided an overview of the emerging virtual reality
or technology has its own strengths and weaknesses, it is advisable
to analyze when and how VR is going to be added to an engineering
career program. To conclude, this research is in line with the “Quality
Education” SDG because it presents and describes many different VR
technologies that may help the students understand concepts easi-
ly, decreasing their cognitive load and their anxiety, and ensuring a
high-quality engineering career path for them.
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DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2023.54.008492
Lautaro Ezequiel Ubiedo. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res
