Edmund Lieng
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Kimberlee Kearfott
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: NERS/BME / Engineering
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 1 – 10am – 10:50am
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Edmund Y Lieng, Jordan D Noey, Kimberlee J Kearfott
Presenter: 69
Abstract
Radiation protection training not only requires dexterity in using various types of equipment and familiarity with lab procedures but often involves radiation dose. In addition, dangerous unanticipated conditions are typically not capable of actual rehearsal. Virtual Reality (VR) allows people to experience different situations without requiring physical presence. By completing radiation protection tutorials in a VR environment, students may learn more about both radiation physics and desirable procedures without actual radiation exposure. Gamification of such an experience can maintain attention and potentially attract more individuals to careers in the nuclear sciences. A fully-immersive virtual reality radiation detection and protection game is therefore being created. One of the most crucial parts of creating this game is having convincing physics and specialized in-game object models so that participants can ultimately recognize their real-life counterparts. Radiation detectors, signage, and radioactive sources are not readily available through open-source or commercial VR resources. For this purpose, the three-dimensional modeling software Blender was chosen. Blender models can be seamlessly ported directly to Unity, the VR game development platform selected for the project. A major challenge is that as models often become too detailed, causing game play to become laggy. To overcome this, the models must be created in a style that has fewer details while still being recognizable. This work presents several specialized radiation protection objects rendered in this way.
Engineering, Interdisciplinary
