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Project # 90
Seeing Mistakes, Feeling Consequences: A VR Framework for Behavior Change in Manufacturing Training
| Team Lead: | Tazim Ahmed |
| Other Team Members: | Jose Lopez | Ashirwad Sharma Dahal | Camilo Henao | Matin Ghasempour Anaraki |
| Faculty Advisor(s): | Dr. Yiran Yang, Dr. Julia Bitencourt |
| Department: | IMSE |
| Project Type: | REU |
| Title: | Seeing Mistakes, Feeling Consequences: A VR Framework for Behavior Change in Manufacturing Training |
| Abstract: | Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to teach technical skills, yet most training is evaluated with surveys and test scores. Those measures cannot show what happens in a learner’s mind from moment to moment. This study used a wearable EEG headset to track attention, engagement, and mental workload while learners studied additive manufacturing. Fourteen adults were randomly assigned to either a VR lesson on a Meta Quest 3 or a recorded lecture covering the same content. Participants completed two modules: a learning module on declarative concepts of a powder bed fusion 3D printer and a training module on procedural steps in the printing workflow. During both modules, brain activity was recorded with an EMOTIV EPOC X device and processed through an EEG pipeline to compute standard workload and engagement indices. Short quizzes followed each module to assess learning outcomes. Results showed that during the learning module, VR participants had lower workload than lecture participants, suggesting VR may help people process new information more efficiently. During the training module, workload was similar across groups. Engagement remained higher in VR in both modules. Overall, VR can boost engagement without adding excessive mental load, and EEG offers real-time feedback to improve training design. |
| Poster: | View Poster #90 (PDF) |
| Judges Scoring: | Submit Evaluation (judges only) |