At theIUT of Nîmes (Gard), it is not uncommon, since the start of the school year, for 1st year students in the Civil Engineering department, future construction engineers (Building and public works), to work with a virtual reality headset on their eyes. No, they don’t play last resident Evil, and don’t try to escape from vile monsters in a snowy village. These apprentice technicians, who have just finished their final year, wander around, immersed, on a construction site. Practical, for surveying the terrain, without leaving their classroom.
This is the Montpellier start-up VisionR who developed this innovative device. This company, specializing in virtual reality, augmented reality and 3D, has created lots of astonishing immersive experiences in recent years: 360° films to simulate the installation of wind turbines to anticipate the impact of these giant structures, and others to show seniors how a stair lift works or to immerse themselves in a Cévennes episode, as if we were there, to raise awareness of good behavior to adopt in the event of flooding. The application created by the VisionR team for the IUT of Nîmes allows students to wander around the construction site of a building as they wish, as if they were, for real, in the noise and dust.
Visiting construction sites “without leaving the classroom”
“At the different stages of a project, from the foundations to the construction of the floors,” explains Simon Billy, co-manager of the start-up. “The students walk around a construction site, a bit like a Google Street View, with arrows on the ground that allow them to move from one space to another. » A first mode allows you to explore the construction site. A second allows the student to click on points of interest, here and there, to find out about technical details, the weight of a concrete beam, or the safety instructions to follow. Finally, a final mode invites him to test his knowledge, to be sure that he is ready to set foot on a real construction site.
“Until now, the IUT had to organize site visits,” explains Simon Billy. We had to find a builder who was willing to accommodate around forty students. And it’s difficult, because it presents many constraints. It was also necessary to organize student transport, mobilize safety equipment, etc. And it’s a cost, too. The idea of this application is to do the same thing, without leaving the classroom. »
“Memorization of information is higher in virtual reality”
For the students, too, it is a real plus. Because, continues the co-manager of VisionR, “information memorization is higher in virtual reality than through traditional learning, on a board. We are no longer passive, but active. Being immersed in the heart of the construction site, being next to the crane, allows you to visually assimilate what you need to know. » Especially since the construction sites shown to the students are not recreated in 3D. These are real construction sites, filmed in Montpellier.
“When you’re in it, I assure you that you really believe it! », confides Alain Ausset, teacher at the IUT of Nîmes and former works manager, who led this project with VisionR. “The word “Immersion” is the right one. » For the moment, this is only a first prototype. Depending on feedback from students and teachers, the application will potentially be modified and enriched. “Some students are very comfortable with virtual reality, but for others, they were a little doubtful at first,” confides Alain Ausset. But in the end, they all found it very good, I didn’t have any negative comments! They were all like, “Ah yes, okay, OK, I’m on the construction site now!” I now even have 2nd year students who say to me “Sir, why aren’t we entitled to it too?” » » If the experiment proves conclusive, the students could, perhaps, soon, walk in the middle of a bridge or a highway under construction.