Description : The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been a world leader in the development of innovative virtual reality technologies over the last 10 to 15 years. These developments have included developing the world’s first 360° surround, virtual reality (VR), stereo projection theatre system known as AVIE (Advanced Visualisation and Interactive Environment), which was developed by iCinema, a collaborative venture between the UNSW Faculties of Engineering and College of Fine Arts. The UNSW School of Mining Engineering has been responsible for development of mining applications virtual reality software modules and to date, has developed eighteen different mine safety training and mining engineering education modules which run in the AVIE environment.
This platform and technology package provides a unique “immersive environment” experience for groups of trainees or students who can engage with the simulated environment in the complete safety of the virtual reality theatre.
In all of the major international mining industries, safety is of paramount importance, and training of personnel is an essential component of any comprehensive proactive safety management system. All personnel need to be aware of the inevitable hazards around them at all times, as well as understand appropriate safety and operational procedures. This can be done by conventional class-room style training sessions, or by provision of training documentation. However the effectiveness of such systems is often very limited due to the inability of trainers to engage with the audience for a lengthy period of time; or to convey the often complex and variable mining environments and situations which can exist in a typical mine. The ability to immerse the trainees in a virtual mine environment, with all the reality of an actual mine but with none of the physical exposure to actual hazards, provides a far more effective and engaging training experience. Furthermore, in the virtual world, trainees can be exposed to the very unlikely, but nevertheless high consequence hazards such as mine fires, falls of ground or outbursts, without any risk to their safety and well-being. The end result is that trainees will be far more engaged with the learning environment they find themselves in, and will develop a far higher level of understanding of the topics, rather than simply experiencing a passive class-room style learning environment offered by conventional training modes.
The UNSW systems have been implemented widely within the Australian mining industry and the mining engineering education sector and are now being adopted internationally. This paper presents an overview of the innovative technologies involved in these virtual reality systems – as applied to the mining industry. Modules developed for both mineworker training and mining engineering student learning will be presented, to illustrate the effectiveness and value of such a training and education approach.
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