University of Wollongong researchers have joined hands with industry safety training provider Coal Services to test the effectiveness of using immersive virtual reality to train miners and rescue workers.
The virtual reality based system that can be used to train miners and rescue brigades about mine safety.
Coal Services has developed a cinema-like virtual reality room with a 360-degree screen, which uses 12 cameras to project 3D images with full surround sound.
This project is being undertaken by the PhD student of SMART Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong Australia Shiva Pedram, to bridge the gap of traditional training methods where miners do not get hands on experience of the situation.
In the room, miners will be able to experience virtual version of real situations like explosions, gas leaks or routine safety inspections.
The outcome of the study is expected to improve the quality of training for the mining industry.
Shiva said: "The training offered by Coal Services has contributed significantly to this positive outcome.
"The training system gives employees the confidence to do their job well and the confidence to be able to handle situations when things go wrong.
"It’s a particularly acute problem for highly skilled rescue brigades whose individual and collective proficiency relies upon the ability of their training program to deliver scenarios that are as realistic as possible."
