Multiplayer physical and virtual reality games for team-based manufacturing simulation

Familiarity with manufacturing environments is an essential aspect for many engineering students. However, such environments in real world often contain expensive equipment making them difficult to recreate in an educational setting. For this reason, simulated physical environments where the process is approximated using scaled-down representations are usually used in education. However, such physical simulations alone may not capture all the details of a real environment. Virtual reality (VR) technology nowadays allows for the creation of fully immersive environments, bringing simulations to the next level. Using rapidly advancing gaming technology, this research paper explores the applicability of creating multiplayer serious games for manufacturing simulation. First, we create and validate a hands-on activity that engages groups of students in the design and assembly of toy cars. Then, a corresponding multiplayer VR game is developed, which allows for the collaboration of multiple VR users in the same virtual environment. With a VR headset and proper infrastructure, a user can participate in a simulation game from any location. This paper explores whether multiplayer VR simulations could be used as an alternative to physical simulations.