Integrating Haptic Interaction into a Virtual Training System for Manual Procedures in Industrial Environments

Many virtual training systems have been proposed to address the increasing complexity of manufacturing environments. However, existing training systems focus on visual interaction and neglect the haptic sense, which is a crucial component of manual tasks. This paper introduces a concept for a virtual training system for industrial procedures that introduces physical components to improve the training process. Introducing physical components is expected to improve the efficiency of training systems by transporting a sense for the haptic properties of tools and components and facilitate the transfer of the skills to the real work environment. The system allows practicing physical tasks using real tools and components. The didactic concept is based on the idea of multimodal learning and provides an environment that allows active experimentation. The application of the concept in an exemplary procedure is demonstrated.