Digital earth, Virtual Reality and urban seismic disaster simulation

US Vice President Al Gore's vision of Digital Earth applies us with prospects for brand-new ways of solving problems the earth is facing such as seismic disaster. ms paper first briefly introduces the concept of Digital Earth. Then in the context of Digital Earth. the Origin, concept and application of Virtual Reality technology are reviewed. After that we present in detail our preliminary case study--CVR-USD (Computer Virtual Reality for Urban Seismic Disaster Simulation) System which aims to simulate and manage seismic disaster through integrating RS, GIS and VR technologies. For this system, we've built USD subsystem, developed SMVR software to implement CVR. and also developed a Spatial Dare Analysis Package to handle spatial data related to earthquake disaster.

Virtual reality simulation in training endoscopic skills: A systematic review

Objective:Training young physicians in gastrointestinal endoscopy through virtual reality(VR)simulators has become popular.It is important to evaluate the benefits and usefulness of this technology for teaching endoscopic skills.The objective of this literature review is to understand the benefits of VR technology through quantitative and qualitative examination of learning outcomes.Methods:A literature search of 7 databases was conducted.Studies which compared the effects of learning through VR simulation and another method of learning were included.In addition,studies were included if they evaluated learning outcomes on clinical patients.Participants could be medical residents,fellows,physicians,or nurses.Common outcomes measured across studies included subjective overall performance scores,total procedure times,rate of successful procedure completion,error rates,patient pain or discomfort,and measures of independence.Results:A total of 22 studies were included.Overall,VR simulation training was seen to be comparable or significantly better than clinical training,no training,other types of simulation,and another form of VR training.Many authors reported increasing patient safety,reducing stress and time constraints,and shortening the learning curve as advantages of VR simulation training.However,this form of training is also expensive and may result in the learning of bad habits.Conclusion:VR simulation technology can be a valuable form of educating endoscopy novices if properly supervised during training,and if there is also integration of clinical training.

Virtual Reality and Visual Simulation Technology in Platform Construction with Four Bucket Foundations Based on Secondary Development of Vega

The platform with bucket foundations can penetrate and migrate by underpressure/positive pressure technique caused by pumping water out/in the bucket. However, the construction process of bucket foundations cannot be clearly observed and effectively controlled due to the special nature of sea environment. By using an advanced simulation development tool of Multigen Creator, the visual construction simulation program for the platform with bucket foundations was developed to set up the virtual reality system with interaction control and observation in every view angle based on the secondary development technology of Vega platform. The application results show that the method is feasible and effective by simulating the whole construction process for the platform with four bucket foundations.

Validity of virtual reality simulator in training of transurethral resection of prostate

Objective To assess the face and construct validity of a full procedural transurethral prostate resection simulator ( TURPSimTM ) in training of transurethral resection of prostate. Methods Ten experienced and thirteen inexperienced urologists ( TURP experience ≥ 30 and

Understanding the effects of structured self-assessment in directed,self-regulated simulation-based training of mastoidectomy:A mixed methods study

Objective:Self-directed training represents a challenge in simulation-based training as low cognitive effort can occur when learners overrate their own level of performance.This study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying the positive effects of a structured self-assessment intervention during simulation-based training of mastoidectomy.Methods:A prospective,educational cohort study of a novice training program consisting of directed,self-regulated learning with distributed practice(5x3 procedures)in a virtual reality temporal bone simulator.The intervention consisted of structured self-assessment after each procedure using a rating form supported by small videos.Semi-structured telephone interviews upon completion of training were conducted with 13 out of 15 participants.Interviews were analysed using directed content analysis and triangulated with quantitative data on secondary task reaction time for cognitive load estimation and participants’self-assessment scores.Results:Six major themes were identified in the interviews:goal-directed behaviour,use of learning supports for scaffolding of the training,cognitive engagement,motivation from self-assessment,selfassessment bias,and feedback on self-assessment(validation).Participants seemed to self-regulate their learning by forming individual sub-goals and strategies within the overall goal of the procedure.They scaffolded their learning through the available learning supports.Finally,structured self-assessment was reported to increase the participants’cognitive engagement,which was further supported by a quantitative increase in cognitive load.Conclusions:Structured self-assessment in simulation-based surgical training of mastoidectomy seems to promote cognitive engagement and motivation in the learning task and to facilitate self-regulated learning.

Serious games in science education:a systematic literature review

Teaching science through computer games,simulations,and artificial intelligence(AI)is an increasingly active research field.To this end,we conducted a systematic literature review on serious games for science education to reveal research trends and patterns.We discussed the role of virtual reality(VR),AI,and augmented reality(AR)games in teaching science subjects like physics.Specifically,we covered the research spanning between 2011 and 2021,investigated country-wise concentration and most common evaluation methods,and discussed the positive and negative aspects of serious games in science education in particular and attitudes towards the use of serious games in education in general.

WEB-BASED VIRTUAL CNC MACHINE MODELING AND OPERATION

A CNC simulation system based on intemet for operation training of manufacturing facility and manufacturing process simulation is proposed. Firstly, the system framework and a rapid modeling method of CNC machine tool are studied under the virtual environment based on PolyTrans and CAD software. Then, a new method is proposed to enhance and expand the interactive ability of virtual reality modeling language（VRML） by attaining communication among VRML, JavaApplet, JavaScript and Html so as to realize the virtual operation for CNC machine tool. Moreover, the algorithm of material removed simulation based on VRML Z-map is presented. The advantages of this algorithm include less memory requirement and much higher computation. Lastly, the CNC milling machine is taken as an illustrative example for the prototype development in order to validate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Elevating haptic interfaces:Dual-rate sampling and field programmable gate array implementation for multi-degree-of-freedom performance enhancement

In this work,our primary focus centered on exploring the adaptability of the dualrate sampling scheme proposed earlier to enhance the performance of multi-degreeof-freedom(multi-DOF)impedance-based haptic interfaces.The scheme employed independent sampling rates in a haptics controller,effectively mitigating the issue of reduced Z-width at higher sampling rates.A key aspect of our investigation was the intricate implementation of the dual-rate sampling scheme on a field programmable gate array(FPGA).This implementation on a logic hardware FPGA was challenging and led to the effective comparison of the uniform-rate and dual-rate sampling schemes of the multi-DOF haptic controller.We used an in-house developed two-DOF pantograph as the haptic interface and an FPGA for implementing the controller strategy.FPGA-based implementation presented challenges that were vital in testing controller performances at higher sampling rates.Virtual wall experiments were conducted to determine the stable and unstable interactions with the virtual wall.To complement the experimental results,we simulated the haptics force law for multi-DOF system on Simulink/MATLAB.Notably,the dual-rate sampling approach maintained the Z-width of the two-DOF haptic interface,even at higher controller sampling rates,distinguishing it from the conventional two-DOF uniform-rate control scheme.For example,employing a dual-rate sampling combination of 20–2 kHz consistently ensured the stable rendering of a maximum virtual stiffness of approximately 700 N/mm and maintained a reliable virtual damping range spanning from 0 to 5 Ns/mm.In contrast,the 20 kHz uniform-rate sampling approach failed to ensure interface stability in the presence of virtual damping,ultimately resulting in the unsuccessful implementation of any virtual stiffness at higher sampling rates.This work,therefore,establishes the potential of dual-rate sampling in the realm of haptic technology,with practical applications in multi-DOF systems.

Training for percutaneous renal access on a virtual reality simulator

Background The need to develop new methods of surgical training combined with advances in computing has led to the development of virtual reality surgical simulators. The PERC MentorTM is designed to train the user in percutaneous renal collecting system access puncture. This study aimed to validate the use of this kind of simulator, in percutaneous renal access training. Methods Twenty-one urologists were enrolled as trainees to learn a fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous renal accessing technique. An assigned percutaneous renal access procedure was immediately performed on the PERC MentorTM after watching instruction video and an analog operation. Objective parameters were recorded by the simulator and subjective global rating scale （GRS） score were determined. Simulation training followed and consisted of 2 hours daily training sessions for 2 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the training session, trainees were evaluated performing the same procedure. The post-training evaluation was compared to the evaluation of the initial attempt. Results During the initial attempt, none of the trainees could complete the appointed procedure due to the lack of experience in fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous renal access. After the short-term training, all trainees were able to independently complete the procedure. Of the 21 trainees, 10 had primitive experience in ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Trainees were thus categorized into the group of primitive experience and inexperience. The total operating time and amount of contrast material used were significantly lower in the group of primitive experience versus the inexperience group （P=0.03 and 0.02, respectively）. Conclusions The training on the virtual reality simulator, PERC MentorTM, can help trainees with no previous experience of fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous renal access to complete the virtual manipulation of the procedure independently. This virtual reality simulator may become an important training and evaluation tool in teaching fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous renal access.

Proficiency of virtual reality simulator training in flexible retrograde ureteroscopy renal stone management

Background Minimally invasive flexible ureteroscopy techniques have widely adopted in the management of patients with renal stones. We performed this study to investigate the value of virtual reality simulator training in retrograde flexible ureteroscopy renal stone treatment for catechumen.