Virtual Automotive Mechainc

By: Joseph James, Hampton Wyatt, Peter

Weigman

ENGL 3140-11

4/20/2016Virtual Automotive Mechanic

“The Future of Education”

April 2016

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Alternis Re1 Reality Loop

Clemson, SC 29631

Phone: 410-651-1307, Email: [email protected]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board,

Not since the invention of the computer has there been such a revolution in the field of education. Alternis Re has brought education into the 21st century. For the last few years, Alternis has been developing state-of-the-art technology that will modernize teaching. What we present to you will change learning for the next hundred years. Here is the Heilig Advanced Learning Platform. The HAL Platform represents numerous breakthroughs in virtual reality that have led to an incredible learning experience. This proposal details that experience.

Named after the father of virtual reality, our platform is a computer designed virtual environment with different hands-on tasks for different subjects. Today, we present our Virtual Automotive Mechanic. This is the first of many hands-on tutorials. As we expand, we will be adding demonstrations and environments to teach Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, and many other traditionally difficult subjects.

HAL lets the user step into a world where learning is everywhere. The benefits of the platform are abundant. A few of those are listed below:

1. Every student will have their own equipment.2. Every student will be able to work at their own pace.3. The instructions will be tailored to each student.4. The student can make mistakes with no risk of damaging real-life machines.5. The instructor can clearly see each students’ progress and assist where most needed.

These benefits barely scratch the surface of how helpful the HAL Platform can be. The following proposal will detail every benefit of this technology. We at Alternis Re hope you enjoy hearing about our product, and we look forward to doing business with you in the near future.

Best Regards,

Joe James, CEOHampton Wyatt, COOPeter Weigman, CFO

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Table of Contents 1. Cover Letter.........................................................................................................................1

2. Table of Contents.................................................................................................................2

3. Image Index.........................................................................................................................3

4. Executive Summary.............................................................................................................4

5. Background Information on the Technology.......................................................................5

6. HAL Platform......................................................................................................................6

7. Virtual Automotive Mechanic.............................................................................................8

8. Market Research................................................................................................................10

9. Pricing Options..................................................................................................................14

10. Conclusion.........................................................................................................................15

11. Glossary.............................................................................................................................16

12. Works Cited.......................................................................................................................17

13. Appendix............................................................................................................................18

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Image Index Figure 1. The first VR machine the sensorama……………………………………………………6

Figure 2. The HAL Platform………………………………………………………………………7

Figure 3. View inside the virtual environment....................................................…………………9

Figure 4. Interaction with the virtual environment..............................................…………………9

Figure 5. Survey results………………………………………………………………………….11




Figure 9. Pricing options…………………………………………………………………………14

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Executive Summary The world of virtual reality is an up and coming technology that could have major

benefits for the world of education. With VR a class could be taken anywhere to learn about the

subject being studied. If it is Biology, students could be shrunk down to the size of a cell and

take a virtual tour while interacting with the different organelles. In chemistry, experiments that

could be too dangerous to do in real life can be conducted virtually with the same amount of

hands on work that the students would want. Most subjects could benefit from a tool such as this,

engineers could design parts for machines then actually test what they made without having to

use the resources needed to create the machine. The implementations for VR as an educational

device are nearly endless.

We have a product we call the Heilig Advanced Learning platform or HAL platform.

This is our platform for virtual tutorials based in various different subjects. HALS is a virtual

reality application to be used with Oculus Rift© as well as other VR devices. The application was

made using Unity 3D as well as implementing Leap Motion to create a hands on experience. As

of right now, HALS is somewhat limited to automotive tutorials, but we believe that the app

could be expanding to encompass other subjects as well. In general, we believe that HALS could

be very beneficial in the future as technology continues to advance.

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Background Virtual reality is an artificial environment created with a type of software that is then

presented to the user in such a way that the user accepts said environment as being real. Words

can not explain how much technology has changed within the last 80 plus years. The first sign of

virtual reality can be traced back to the 1930s where Stanley G. Weinbaum wrote a short story

‘Pygmalion’s Spectacles” which was recognized as the first work of science based on virtual

reality. In 1956, Morton Heilig invented the first Virtual Reality machine, called the sensorama.

In 1966, Thomas A. Furness lll introduced the Air Force to a flight simulator which is considered

a form of Virtual Reality. In 1991 SEGA produced the SEGA VR headset, it was the first mass-

produced VR entertainment system which supported multi-player and networked play. In 2012,

Oculus produced the Oculus Rift goggles, a set of goggles that you wear that allow you to be

immersed into a virtual environment created by using Unity 3D. Oculus the company that

invented the Oculus Rift goggles started up on Kickstarter in 2012, which is a crowd-funding

campaign site to gain money for product development. Oculus raised 2.5 million dollars for the

development of Oculus Rift and then in 2014 was purchased by Facebook for 2 billion dollars.

The Oculus Rift works by using a large screen, which is mounted in the goggles,

providing the user with 100 degrees of vision at a time. Each eye looks through a difference lens

at a different part of the screen to create a stereoscopic 3D effect. The Oculus Rift goggles have

the ability to track the way your head and body move. This is possible because there are multiple

sensors located on the Oculus Rift goggles which are picked up by the external camera that

recognizes the infrared lights on the head-mounted display to detect tilt and orientation.

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Leap motion is a type of computer hardware sensor device that allows your hands and

fingers to be displayed and can also interact with objects in the virtual environment. To make

this possible, the leap motion device uses two monochromatic IR cameras and three infrared

LEDs. The device can observe a hemispherical area up to 1 meter in distance.

Figure 1. This is the first VR machine invented by Morton Heilig called the sensorama.

HAL Platform The Heilig Advanced Learning platform is the product that we are proposing. It consists

of several different virtual learning modules. We will specifically talk about Virtual Automotive

Mechanic later, but other modules that we include with the platform are Virtual Chemistry,

Virtual Biology, Virtual Geology, Virtual Modeling, and we also offer instruction sets on how to

put together pieces of equipment as well as various other objects that require assembly. The

platform also has the potential for expansion into other fields as well. For example, we are also

hoping to develop modules for virtual learning environments for subjects like History and

English in the future.

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What makes the HAL platform so ground breaking, is the fact that for whatever subject

students are studying they will feel entirely immersed in whatever activity they are conducting,

whether it be an experiment for Chemistry or Physics or working on a car in a garage. The

platform is also updateable, for example if students would like to work on a different car in the

Virtual Automotive Mechanic module, all that would need to be done is download the model for

the specific car and work can begin. Another benefit of HAL is that the teacher can even jump

into any student’s world. This would be helpful in cases where the student is having trouble with

on part of lesson or if the teacher feels that they need to jump into the students’ environment to

explain something that is relevant to the situation. One other advantage to using a virtual

environment for learning is that if any sort of lesson that could be considered dangerous in real

life is no longer off limits. Students can work with chemicals that can be considered hazardous;

they could step in and see at a molecular level would happens when atoms are split. If the

students are studying volcanoes at the time they can actual go and see the internal workings of

the volcano or watch it erupt without being in any actual danger. All in all, the HAL platform

will expand the classroom to lengths that could not be reached before.

Figure 2. Display all of the different applications under the HAL Platform.

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Virtual Automotive Mechanic One specific module that we have developed for the platform is Virtual Automotive

Mechanic. Just imagine being able to complete an automotive maintenance task in a virtual

environment then performing that same automotive maintenance task on your own vehicle.

Saving time while gaining experience and not having to worry about dealerships or mechanics

over charging you to complete the service on your vehicle. My coworkers and I have developed

a module for the HAL platform that works with Oculus Rift and Leap motion. With the use of

the Oculus Rift goggles the user will be immersed into the virtual environment and with the leap

motion device attached to the goggles, the user will be able to see and interact with their only

hands in the virtual environment. The app was created using Unity 3D. The module is mainly for

educational use but you can also purchase it for personal use. It is mainly for educational because

many schools do not have enough funds or are not willing to purchase a car for every student to

work on, but with this app all of the students in the particular class can be working on any

vehicle completing any maintenance task at the same time. This app will also allow for students

to gain more experience with different type of vehicles. The app allows the user to pick the year,

make and model of the vehicle. As of right now there are 50 different types of vehicles. Once the

user selects the vehicle, the user now has the ability to select the maintenance task in which they

are trying to complete. Then the tutorial of the selected maintenance task will began. Tutorials

will range from changing a tire to rebuilding the car’s engine. The user will also have the ability

to pause or repeat any of the steps in the tutorial to fully understand the concepts. Once the

tutorial is complete the user will have the ability and confidence to perform the maintenance task

on an actual vehicle.

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Figure 3. Shows the power of leap motion to display the hands in the virtual environment.

Figure 4. Shows our CEO Joseph James interacting with the virtual environment.

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Market Research Why is the HAL Platform right for your school? The HAL Platform allows every student

the opportunity to have his or her own laboratory without leaving the classroom. Previously, cost

was a major limiting factor when running experiments. With HAL, this is no longer an issue. A

student can now use as much material, supplies, or tools as he or she needs to complete the

experiment and gain a real understanding of the subject matter, without any cost! The HAL

Platform is a revolutionary learning system that will bring education into the 21st century.

Schools must make decisions based on what is best for the students. What makes HAL so

incredible is that it is the best way for students to learn, and the students want to learn this way!

After a survey of college students, the results make it clear that this technology needs to be

implemented as soon as possible. The full survey can be viewed in the Appendix, but Alternis Re

would like to highlight some of the feedback. The majority of students surveyed had technical

backgrounds. The majors are those that rely heavily on experimentation and hands on learning

for the best understanding. The other demographic to note is that 50% of the students surveyed

were seniors. We believe this lends an air of credibility to their responses. These are the students

that have been in college the longest, and have the best idea of what works and does not. The

demographic breakdown can be seen in the figure below:

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Figure 5. Shows the type of major and the classification of the students who took our survey.

The next two questions we asked on the survey are shown below:

Figure 6. Shows that most of the time students often use hands on learning and that they would

like to use hands on learning.

The answers to these questions represent an interesting trend. Using hands on learning every

single time would not make sense, nor is it feasible. However, a majority of students would find

it most helpful if hands on learning was used “Most of the time.” In reality, only a quarter of the

students use hands on learning “Most of the time.” This represents a large disconnect that needs

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to be bridged. The next question to note on the survey was “How beneficial do you think more

hands on learning would be?” The results speak for themselves as can be seen below:

Figure 7. Show that most of the students think that hands on learning is extremely benefical.

Every student surveyed thought that more hands on learning would have benefitted them

to some degree. However, the telling number is 54% of students thought more hands on learning

would be “Extremely beneficial.” How can anybody argue with results like that? The final two

questions clearly show why this school needs to adopt the HAL Platform and begin adding hands

on learning through virtual reality to the classroom.

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Figure 8. Show that most students would be interested in learning through virtual reality and

would like to see it implemented in the class room.

The research suggests that this technology needs to be used in education. We are

presenting this school with the opportunity to push education into the future, and the way to do

that is with the Heilig Advanced Learning Platform.

Pricing Options

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Figure 9. Shows the pricing option for the HAL Platform for a class size of 30 students.

The above table displays the expected costs of a full educational system. The VR

Goggles have an individual cost of $600, but it is important to keep in mind that this cost is one

time only. The same applies to the LEAP Motion technology. Furthermore, there is a bulk

discount when outfitting the entire classroom. Finally, our software is individually licensed at

$1000 per user per year. Once again, there is a bulk discount. This package will allow a class of

30 students to step into a virtual classroom, lab, or garage. Of course, this virtual classroom can

be used by many different classes every day.

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Conclusion With Virtual Reality technology advancing each day, there will be little to no limits when

it comes to educational learning. As of right now we have the virtual automotive mechanic app

up and fully functional for educational and personal use. In the virtual automotive app, the user

has the ability to select a vehicle and choose an automotive maintenance task tutorial in which he

or she is trying to complete. As stated earlier in the proposal, the HAL platform with be

extending to all form of education including chemistry, physics, geology, biology, architecture,

and even English. This is going to be revolutionizing the way humans learn and recall

information. For example, imagine being in biology class and having the ability to put on the

Oculus Rift goggles and being immersed into someone’s heart, watching their heart pump blood

throughout their body. Think about how impressive that would be. Thank you for taking time out

of your busy schedule to read this proposal on HAL platform. I hope you take advantage of this

opportunity to introduce your educational institution with the unlimited amount of possibilities

from the Virtual Reality perspective.

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Glossary Heilig Advanced Learning Platform – The app we have come up with to be used in educational tutorials and specifically automotive tutorials as of right now.

Virtual Reality (VR) – A computer generated simulation of real 3D objects that the user can interact with on a physical level.

Oculus Rift – A type of virtual reality headset used to put the user into the virtual world.

Leap Motion – A company that develops software that allow the user to use their hands as an input device in both virtual and augmented worlds.

Unity 3D – A software used to develop virtual environments for use in video games and interactive 3D and 2D experiences, such as training simulations.

Monochromatic Camera – A camera that uses only one color to capture video or input.

Stereoscopic – A method of viewing images where two pictures are taken of the same field of vision but at different angles and viewed together to create depth and solidity.

Works Cited

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"Timeline of Virtual Reality History & Important VR Chronological Events." 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Strickland, Jonathan. "How Virtual Reality Works." 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

"What to Expect in the Future." 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

Cleaver, Samantha. "Hands-On Is Minds-On." 2016. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

Crider, Tony. "Virtual Reality and Learning: The Newest Landscape for Higher Education." 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

Appendix

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Initial ReportLast Modified: 04/13/2016

1. What year are you in college?# Answer Response %1 Freshman 2 8%2 Sophomore 3 12%3 Junior 8 31%4 Senior or other 13 50%

Total 26 100%

Statistic ValueMin Value 1Max Value 4Mean 3.23Variance 0.90Standard Deviation 0.95Total Responses 26

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2. What is your major?Text ResponseMEMech EComputer ScienceMEElectrical EngineeringElectrical engineeringAnimal and Veterinary ScienceAnimal Veterinary ScienceCivil engineeringMechanical engineeringCivil EngineeringGeologyComputer EngineeringEnvironmental engineeringBiological SciencesComputer EngineeringElectrical EngineeringHealth ScienceBiological sciencesMechanical Engineeringelectrical engineeringHuman-Centered ComputingComputer EngineeringMechanical engineeringElectrical EngineeringMechanical Engineering

Statistic ValueTotal Responses 26

3. How often do you use "hand-on" learning in your major?# Answer Response %1 Always 0 0%

2 Most of the time 7 27%

3 About half the time 7 27%

4 Sometimes 11 42%5 Never 1 4%

Total 26 100%

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4. How often would you like to use "hands-on" learning in your major?

# Answer Response %1 Always 5 19%

2 Most of the time 15 58%

3 About half the time 5 19%

4 Sometimes 1 4%5 Never 0 0%

Total 26 100%


5. How beneficial do you think more"hands-on" learning would be for you?

# Answer Response %

1 Extremely beneficial 14 54%

2 Very beneficial 6 23%

3 Moderately beneficial 6 23%

4 Slightly beneficial 0 0%

5 Not beneficial at all 0 0%

Total 26 100%

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6. How familiar are you with Virtual Reality?# Answer Response %

1 Extremely familiar 1 4%

2 Very familiar 5 19%

3 Moderately familiar 12 46%

4 Slightly familiar 3 12%

5 Not familiar at all 5 19%

Total 26 100%


7. Would you be interested in "hands-on" learning through virtual reality?

# Answer Response %1 Yes 21 100%2 No 0 0%

Total 21 100%

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8. Would you like to see virtual reality as a teaching method used in your classes?

# Answer Response %1 Yes 20 95%2 No 1 5%

Total 21 100%


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