Project Details

[Return to Previous Page]

Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences for ME 360 Mechanical Design

Company: PSU - Mechanical Engineering

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: CMPSC

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Machine design is a required course in all mechanical engineering undergraduate programs. Machine design is an iterative decision-making process that requires students to select and assemble machine elements to create a device that performs a desired task. A machine designer must possess knowledge of basic sciences like physics and chemistry and have a familiarity with machine components such as shafts, gears, and pulleys. Machine design is not only applied science and engineering, but also an art in which aesthetic sense plays a very important role. Considerable imagination is required for designing a suitable mechanism for any given purpose. However, most students lack familiarity with machine components and may have never seen such elements work in real-world applications. Due to the size, cost, and logistical challenges (large class sizes and limited time for students to interact with a device), it is commonplace to teach machine design without the use of physical devices or machines. Instead, instructors often rely on images, videos, and CAD models to demonstrate the functionality of machine components. But this approach still lacks the hands-on feel expected for this course. Additionally, to use devices known by the students, instructors may utilize cars as examples for class. This can contribute to equity issues since some students may not be as motivated by this type of machine which can contribute to some feeling like mechanical engineering isn’t for them Innovative technologies such as virtual reality (VR) offer potential solutions to the persistent challenge of learning about machine design without physically interacting with the machine and its individual parts. The objective of the project is to create two immersive virtual reality experiences to familiarize students with the machine elements covered in ME 360 Machine Design. The machines or devices used in the immersive experience should have as many elements covered in the ME 360 course as possible. Additionally, the experience should include traditional and non-traditional (i.e., not car-related) machines/devices.