VR Training for Laboratory Environments

VR apps in the categories of gaming, leisure, social, fitness, work and education are becoming increasingly popular. The aim of this paper is to determine the potential for increasing efficiency and conserving resources in laboratory processes. For this purpose, literature research was conducted on the one hand, and on the other hand, a virtual simulation environment in the field of cell culture was created within a Laminar Flow Hood (Flow) using the Unity development environment and the Oculus Quest 2 VR goggles. Outstanding features of the app are that, in addition to the possibility of being used via cable using a PC (PCVR), it can also be operated wireless as an Android standalone package, and that it can be used with controllers as well as with hand tracking, i.e., freehand. The Laminar Flow application was extensively tested on a group of 10 employees and students of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The data obtained from the app, as well as questionnaires completed by the test persons, show that a usability-friendly application can be used to train workflows efficiently and, in a resource saving manner. Furthermore, the more often the workflow has been worked through by a person, a greater improvement in the workflow was achieved. In addition, a strong acceptance and high commitment of the users in the technical environment can be seen. Regarding comparable studies and although the test group is subject to some limitations the enormous potential that IVR offers to support location-based training sessions in companies and especially in laboratories and university facilities can be seen. In view of the decreasing prices, the technical advancement of VR devices and the paradigm shift of work and education towards increased home office driven by COVID-19, intensified future research in the field of IVR can be justified in combination with these positive results.