Virtual and practical!

In this semester, the visit of the RFID measuring chamber was on the agenda for the students of the second semester of the Information Logistics course, because in engineering sciences, practical laboratory experience is a central pillar for the preparation for a professional career.

A novelty awaited the students, because for the first time they were able to prepare themselves with the help of a virtual variant before visiting the real measuring chamber. The virtual measuring chamber was developed and evaluated within the DigiLab4U project. It is to be available to students as a regular offer from the summer semester 2021.

In compliance with the strict hygiene regulations and equipped with VR glasses and controllers, the students started their tour of the simulation individually. They were accompanied by a small avatar called Buggy-T, who explained the components of the chamber, their function and handling step by step. In the further course of the simulation, the students were able to carry out measurements on their own, analyse the results and compare different RFID transponders.

The first virtual laboratory experiences were evaluated very positively by the students and were seen as a good opportunity to get to know and understand the laboratory environment and the associated work processes better.

Currently, it can be observed that the interest in virtual reality is increasing in the field of engineering sciences. There are at least three reasons for this: Virtual reality (VR) supports the transfer of knowledge, the technology offers a safe working environment and can help to save financial and human resources.

Enough reasons for the DigiLab4U team to further explore the potential of Virtual Reality. The next steps are already planned. In the coming months a connection from the virtual to the real measuring chamber will be established to allow remote access with real measuring results.

The video gives a first impression of the virtual laboratory environment.