Risk Assessment Using Virtual Reality Technology - Effects of Subjective Experience

计划中的基于虚拟现实（VR）的风险评估方法将允许在产品开发过程的早期阶段仅基于数字数据进行全面风险评估（RA）。在这种情况下，可以推测，通过使用虚拟现实，主观经验的影响将变得更加重要，因为它已经是传统的风险评估。因此，在进行基于vr的RA时，评估主观经验的影响是该项目的主要目标。因此，有必要开发一种基于vr的RA方法。作为该方法的一部分，必须建立VR模型的创建、与VR环境的交互以及附加信息的集成和使用的概念。创建虚拟现实模型的主要重点是从CAD到VR的数据转换和危险因素（HF）的可视化。在开发上述概念之后，必须创建一个指导基于vr的RA的指令。同时，将根据虚拟环境中对技术对象的感知的现有知识制定调查问卷。必须考虑诸如更复杂的可视化内容以及识别HF的项目重点等方面。此外，有必要将单纯的心理调查问卷，即测量被测者的风险倾向的问卷，与测量存在感和考虑可视化对象特征的问卷相结合。这些调查问卷将用于用户测试，以评估感知方面，即VR中HF的识别和评估。此外，还将进行测试，以评估存在感的影响以及个人人格特征对RA质量的影响。参与者将是RA（工业安全专家，设计师）方面的专家，并将被要求使用预定义的方法在五面洞穴内执行vr支持的RA。为了加深对主观经验影响的认识，增加了第二个研究方面，即危险情况的可视化。在这里，用户测试的目标是评估在不同危险情况下的行为反应。因此，必须发展一种模拟和可视化这种危险情况的方法，并必须创造相应的调查仪器。这两项用户测试的结果将用于改进虚拟现实支持的风险评估方法。此外，还将证明现实与虚拟现实之间感知差异的可能原因。

The planned Virtual Reality (VR)-based risk assessment method will allow conducting full risk assessments (RA) based solely on digital data at a very early stage in the product development process. In this context it is conjecturable that by using VR the influence of subjective experience will become more important as it already is for the conventional risk assessment. Therefore the evaluation of the influences of subjective experience when conducting a VR-based RA is the primary goal of the project.Therefore it is necessary to develop a method for the VR-based RA. As part of this method, concepts for the creation of the VR model, for the interaction with the VR environment as well as for the integration and usage of additional information have to be established. The main focus regarding the creation of the VR models are the data conversion from CAD to VR and the visualization of hazard factors (HF). After developing those concepts mentioned above, an instruction for the conduction of the VR-based RA has to be created.In parallel, survey questionnaires will be developed based on existing knowledge on perception of technical objects in virtual environments. Aspects like more complex visualization contents as well as the project focus on recognizing HF have to be considered. In addition it is necessary to combine merely psychological survey questionnaires, i.e. questionnaires that measure the risk tendency of the test person, with questionnaires that measure the sense of presence and account for object characteristics of the visualization. Those survey questionnaires will be used in user tests to evaluate aspects of perception, i.e. recognition and assessment of HF in VR. Furthermore tests will be conducted to assess the influence of the sense of presence as well as the impact of individual personality traits on the quality of the RA. Participants will be experts in RA (Industrial Safety Specialists, Designers) and will be asked to execute a VR-supported RA inside a 5-sided CAVE using the predefined methods.To deepen the knowledge about the influence of subjective experience, a second research aspect, the visualization of hazardous situations, is added. Here, the user tests target the evaluation of behavioral reactions in different hazardous situations. Thus a method to simulate and visualize such hazardous situations has to be developed and corresponding survey instruments have to be created.The results from both user tests will be used to improve the method of VR-supported risk assessment. In addition possible reasons for perception differences between reality and virtual reality will be evinced.