Abstract
Training engineering students in correct machine operation procedures is challenging due to safety constraints, limited access to laboratory equipment, and the high cost of operating the equipment, especially in the event of user errors. While virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in engineering education, many VR training systems emphasize open-ended interaction and visualization, offering limited support for enforcing procedural correctness. The paper presents a VR simulator for closed-ended procedural training of milling machine operation, developed for a CAVE-type (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) installation. The simulator integrates a virtual milling machine, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) control terminal, tooling components, and instructional elements. Procedural correctness is enforced by dynamically constraining user interactions according to the active training scenario. A representative machine preparation scenario was implemented and evaluated through a user study conducted with eight students in the CAVE environment. The results indicate that the proposed approach is usable and perceived as beneficial for supporting structured procedural training in an immersive educational setting.
Paper Type
Poster
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2026.164
A CAVE-Based Virtual Reality Simulator for Closed-Ended Procedural Training of Engineering Students in Milling Machine Operation
Training engineering students in correct machine operation procedures is challenging due to safety constraints, limited access to laboratory equipment, and the high cost of operating the equipment, especially in the event of user errors. While virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in engineering education, many VR training systems emphasize open-ended interaction and visualization, offering limited support for enforcing procedural correctness. The paper presents a VR simulator for closed-ended procedural training of milling machine operation, developed for a CAVE-type (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) installation. The simulator integrates a virtual milling machine, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) control terminal, tooling components, and instructional elements. Procedural correctness is enforced by dynamically constraining user interactions according to the active training scenario. A representative machine preparation scenario was implemented and evaluated through a user study conducted with eight students in the CAVE environment. The results indicate that the proposed approach is usable and perceived as beneficial for supporting structured procedural training in an immersive educational setting.
Recommended Citation
Czerwionka, A., Krause, M., Łukaszewicz, A., Bryłowski, K., Pikus, A., Skrobisz, J. & Lebiedź, J.(2026). A CAVE-Based Virtual Reality Simulator for Closed-Ended Procedural Training of Engineering Students in Milling Machine Operation. In M. Valenta, B. Mannová, R. Pergl, A. Przybylek, M. Lang, H. Linger, C. Schneider, N. Iivari, & E. Insfran (Eds.), Making ISD Sustainable: Reloaded with AI and Automation (ISD2026 Proceedings). Prague, Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague. ISBN: 978-80-01-07585-2. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2026.164