XpertVR

After multiple successful projects under their partnership, Conestoga College approached XpertVR with their most ambitious project yet. To create a fully realistic search & rescue simulation for firefighters in training.

The ProblemFirefighting is a very hands-on profession and without the proper preparation it can be almost impossible to know if you're ready to face the demanding pressures of the job. That is why post secondary institutions like Conestoga College offer extensive firefighter training programs. The problem is most institutions have little to no access to controlled burn training facilities for students to practice with real fires, as they cost 100's of thousands of dollars to maintain and operate and even more to build. This isn't helped by the fact that in North America many of these facilities are past their prime and are beginning to be shut down because of safety concerns.

Not to mention even in proper conditions each year multiple firefighters die and thousands more are injured, during training activities. These factors have led to many post secondary students, volunteer firefighters and career firefighters lacking the amount of hands-on training required to be fully confident on the job.

XpertVR's Search & Rescue SolutionTo solve this problem Conestoga College and XpertVR partnered to create the virtual reality (VR) Search & Rescue training simulation. In the simulation students and trainees are equipped and trained on how to use firefighters day-to-day equipment. This includes, a flashlight, radio, SCBA gear, axe, halligan bar and more. They are then placed infront of a burning two story house with a basement and up to 4 victims inside. The placement of the fires and victims are randomized each time the student restarts the simulation so they can practice as many times as needed to feel confident. The simulation also has an AI partner so that a student practicing by themselves can still follow the proper buddy system procedures. Students then must follow all other proper procedures and radio callouts to successfully rescue the victims and call for help when needed.firefighter search and rescue fireResults & FeedbackIn demo's to in-service Firefighters, comments included "I was surprised at how easy the technology was to use", conducting the search & rescue felt very real", and " the simulation will help the students significantly".VR allows students to safely practice the training scenarios from the comfort of their homes or in classrooms. Students can repeat the learning process as many times as they want until they learn the concept fully. This way, students remember what they are learning through regular practice in a virtual environment rather than just memorizing the concepts.

Practicing concepts in such an interactive, engaging, and immersive way not only enhances one's skills but also helps in strengthening memory. Moreover, through regular practice, students are able to apply the learning in real-life scenarios without any fear and hesitation. Because of this Conestoga sees the simulation as a great addition to their firefighting courses as it doesn't fully replace the classroom or controlled burn training exercises but acts as a perfect bridge. Allowing students to apply and practice their classroom knowledge so when they have the opportunity to train at a controlled burn facility, they are confident and prepared.https://youtu.be/eiIKNCk5p3Q

Supported by the CPA Centre for Public Policy and Innovation in Accounting, researchers Robert Steinbauer and Anh Mai To from Brock University worked with XpertVR to create a workplace ethics simulation. The ethics simulation is a virtual representation of an office which allowed Robert and Anh Mai to study ethical decision making. Their hope is that the next iteration of the simulation will allow other professors to teach students how to behave ethically in the workplace.

The problemBusinesses around the globe face a universal challenge of ethical dilemmas that aren't always black and white. Failing to make the right decisions not only jeopardizes a business' relationship with its employees and customers but puts corporate existence at stake. For example, in a 2018 LinkedIn survey, 39% of respondents said they would rather quit than engage in unethical conduct.

It is, therefore, imperative for aspiring business professionals to undergo ethical training so that employees work effectively and harmoniously. Many institutions incorporate moral training pedagogies such as case studies, guest speakers and textbooks, but they lack engagement and interactivity.

XpertVR's solutionTo raise awareness about the importance of good ethical decision making among aspiring business professionals, researchers Robert Steinbauer and Anh Mai To, supported by the CPA, conducted a research study using XpertVR's office simulation on a group of over 150 people from around the world.

The VR environment was based on a well-known MBA case (the Pinto fire case) by Dennis Gioia, where the participants were asked to decide whether to fix a dangerous vehicle defect for a cost of $200 million or leave the model as-is, causing an estimated 180 deaths and another 180 burn injuries. The data from people experiencing the VR environment was then collected and compared to participants who went through video-and-text based versions of the same case.

In the VR environment, students can walk around the office, watch a video from the CEO talking about the company, hear a water-cooler conversation between co-workers, witness a customer service call and listen in on a meeting between the CEO and COO. Through these experiences, XpertVR's office simulation presented two office cultures: ethical and unethical.

In the ethical scenario, the environment elements focused on the importance of organizational values, long-term profits and stakeholder balance. In contrast, the unethical scenario focused on short-term profits, stock-market value, and executive bonuses.

Participants in the experiment were grouped according to one of the three case formats they engaged with: video, text or VR. Using a psychometric scale, commonly involved in research, the participants were asked to answer a series of questions to assess their experience.

Results & FeedbackSurveys of the participants suggested that the VR case was more emotionally engaging and put people under more pressure, making the decision more effortful. In comparison, decision-making pertaining to the text-based case was reflective and dispassionate but less likely to be perceived as complicated or overwhelming.

The study also found that participants' response to the VR scenario is likely to be the best guide to what they would do if facing a similar dilemma and culture in real world-outperforming the video and text versions of the scenarios.

To conclude, the research study showed VR could be an incredibly effective tool for organizations and educators in giving people a space where they can learn, through experimentation, about how to voice their values effectively when asked to engage in unethical conduct.https://youtu.be/jk8OPbcmNDE

A large Canadian college, ranked in the top 10 Canadian colleges for research and innovation and known for their emphasize on hands-on, career-focused learning, approached XpertVR to create eLearning materials for their students. The initiative combined the skills of XpertVR and the colleges experiential learning department to develop a simulation that allows students to apply skills learned through their forensic identification courses.

The problemAt the beginning of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world, especially affecting academic institutions and how they teach their students. With all classes moving online and into video call formats college's quickly saw the struggle students were having learning skills that normally required hands-on teaching methods. Plus for laboratories that were still operational like the one at the college we worked with space and time were limited. Creating an additional resourcing issue for many students.

This ranged from students learning trades skills to emergency services personnel. With no hands-on learning methods these students wouldn't be prepared for the workplace and could possibly go without teachings integral for being successful in their career.

XpertVR's solutionAfter speaking with the industry experts and deans from the college and understanding their immediate need to gain hands-on learning material for their forensic identification (FID) post grad students, XpertVR got to work on designing a virtual FID environment. XpertVR decided to go this route as professors indicated that forensic investigation is one of the hardest skills to teach policing students without a hands-on component.

This simulation only has one scenario for students to practice their FID skills but similar to our past forensic identification simulations, we made sure every item in the scene had a purpose and a story to tell. This is true for the environment and the evidence objects we present to students but especially apparent looking at the tools students use. As you can see to the right, students have everything from PPE equipment and police tape to cameras and different types of finger print retrieval tools, at their disposal. This ensures the student is truly immersed in the simulation and that they fully absorb all of the learning outcomes.

On the hardware side of things we built this simulation for the Oculus Quest 2 as it is the most cost effective and portable headset available on the market today. And since the institution we worked with manages a VR lab, teachers can easily book out the equipment for class or students can access it outside of class.

Results & FeedbackAs soon as development and testing was complete the virtual FID simulation was made available as a practice tool for FID post grad students. Although the college we worked with would like to stay anonymous for this case study, we can share that they were very pleased with the final product, students have enjoyed using it to practice their skills and we have now moved ahead with 2 more simulations. Plus as a major benefit for the school as it opens back up students now have an additional training setting that is more accessible and sustainable.

With them becoming a continuous partner of ours we look forward to seeing the next innovative idea we work on together. Plus are happy to hear the projects we have already developed are making a positive impact within their institution!https://youtu.be/PWRwXDR3Nfs