September-October 2018 NPJ

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2018 NuclearPlantJournal.com 31 imbedded (training) video, to pause and to restart the game, turn on a device, and to move a control rod and thus change the reactivity in the physics model as the virtual UP or DOWN button is clicked. While it is somewhat straight forward to walk around, and simply observe, in a 3D virtual model on any hardware platform (laptop, tablet, smartphone, VR device such as Oculus or HTC-Vive), interactivity with the 3D virtual model has so far been hardware specific. One can use the mouse and keyboard, Kinect or LEAP, an XBOX game controller, or custom-built handheld controllers of Oculus or HTC. However, as yet there is no standardization among hardware developers to help ease the transition from one platform to another. Hence, as new hardware becomes available, old 3D models with interactive features need to be tweaked to map the interactive features on to the buttons, knobs and motion or sound sensing capabilities of the new hardware. In addition to numerous other interaction capabilities, VERL developed the capability to display the radiation level in the 3D model of a facility by coloring the floor. (Of course, spatial distribution of either measured or simulated radiation levels need to be provided as input.) In addition to the display of the radiation level, which can be turned on or off, we also developed a virtual dosimeter feature. Player simply picks up the dosimeter, and then goes around doing her chores. Based on the radiation level, location of the player and time spent, a counter at the bottom of the screen shows the dose received. Dosimeter feature can also have a beeping sound similar to that of a Geiger counter. Examples of VR models Numerous 3D, interactive and immersive models of facilities and laboratories have been developed at VERL. These models are equipped with interactive features and physics models. Because of their relevance, 3D model of a chemistry lab—developed for safety training—and 3D model of a TRIGA reactor facility, are described here in some detail. Undergraduates taking a chemistry lab class at UIUC need to first demonstrate that they are familiar with the safety measures. This requires them to be familiar with the location of the exits, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and eye wash stations. Students also need to demonstrate that they know the dress code for the lab (no open toe shoes, etc). This information is currently communicated to students via a short video, which can be replaced by a virtual model of the lab developed in VERL. The 3D, interactive model of the lab is a fairly accurate representation of the physical facility. A screenshot of the virtual chemistry lab is shown in Figure 1. Student can walk into this virtual lab, watch an informatory video by clicking on a monitor screen, and then demonstrate their familiarity by answering the questions that appear at the bottom of the screen. To answer, a student Fig. 1. A screenshot of the virtual chemistry lab. Information videos can be embedded in virtual models. Fig. 2. A picture of the TRIGA facility at the UIUC campus— decommissioned 2004. (Continued on page 32)