Investigating the Impact of an Immersive VR-based Learning Environment for Learning Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction Robotics Education

该项目旨在通过推进必要的创新来改善建筑工人与机器人互动的工作环境，从而服务于国家利益。随着建筑行业朝着机器人的广泛接受迈进，有必要培养建筑工程与管理(CEM)专业的学生，使其在高科技工作环境中脱颖而出。然而，目前的课程不足以使CEM学生具备与建筑机器人一起工作所需的能力。本项目旨在探索一种基于沉浸式虚拟现实(VR)的学习环境，以发展学生的体验技能，使学生毕业后能够安全地与建筑行业的机器人进行交互。拟议的项目有可能为CEM社区提供实实在在的好处，推动机器人在工程教育中的应用。这项跨学科的研究旨在促进对CEM学生在学习如何在建筑工作中安全地与机器人交互时所面临的挑战的理解。该项目将首先确定CEM学生与建筑机器人互动所需的关键能力。接下来，将研究能够增强这些能力的虚拟环境的特征。将开发基于沉浸式VR的学习环境，包括交互式诊断，以帮助学生培养使用建筑机器人的动手技能。该项目打算在学习成果和能力提高方面实施和评价学习环境。此外，研究人员计划提供一个适应不同学生人口统计的学习环境。NSF IUSE：EDU计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过其参与的学生学习跟踪，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by advancing the innovation needed to enhance the work environments for construction workforce interacting with robots. As the construction industry gears towards widespread acceptance of robots, there is a need to prepare Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) students to excel in highly technological work environments. However, the current curriculum is inadequate to equip CEM students with the required competencies for working alongside construction robots. This project intends to investigate an immersive virtual reality (VR)-based learning environment to develop students' experiential skills so that the students would interact safely with robots in the construction industry after they graduate. The proposed project has the potential to provide the CEM communities with tangible benefits for advancing robotics in engineering education.This interdisciplinary research seeks to advance the understanding of CEM students' challenges when the students learn how to interact safely with robots during construction work. The project will first identify the key competencies required for CEM students to interact with construction robots. Next, the characteristics of a virtual environment that can enhance those competencies will be investigated. The immersive VR-based learning environment including an interactive diagnostic will be developed to help students to cultivate the hands-on skills of working with construction robots. The project intends to implement and evaluate the learning environment in terms of learning outcomes and improvement in competencies. In addition, the researchers plan to provide a learning environment adaptable to different student demographics. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.