Virtual Reality for Professional Safety Training Using HV Switchgear: Development of Conceptual Model and Facilitating Data Structures

Caolán Plumb¹, Farzad Rahmian¹, Diptangshu Pandit¹, Hannah Thomas², Nigel Clark²

1. Teesside University
2. The Faraday Centre Ltd.

Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 1619 to 1631. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_154.

Abstract

This paper presents the ongoing development of a Virtual Training Environment implemented with Unreal Engine 5, aimed at enhancing safety training within high-risk industries such as electrical engineering. By utilising Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, this project overcomes the logistical and financial challenges associated with delivering bespoke safety training using expensive or inaccessible physical equipment. The development process begins with an analysis of existing educational practices to identify current training methodologies, key learning objectives and operational competencies required by professionals. Subsequent data acquisition phases involved gathering precise operational details of training procedures, associated equipment, and variation between possible scenarios. Opportunities to enhance the simulation of practical training with virtual technologies have also been explored. Thus identified, these details have informed the conceptualisation of a data-driven content management system capable of creating various virtual training scenarios and delivering equipment-specific training. The paper highlights the strategic use of digital twin technologies and immersive simulations to create a robust training framework, capable of involving the trainee and an instructor, designed to be both scalable and effective in a real-world setting.

Keywords

Session

Presented in Track E, Friday 8 November 2024, 16:30 to 18:30, room WA 224 A, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Esther Aigwi.

How to Cite

Plumb, C., Rahmian, F., Pandit, D., Thomas, H., & Clark, N. (2025). Virtual Reality for Professional Safety Training Using HV Switchgear: Development of Conceptual Model and Facilitating Data Structures. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 1619–1631). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_154

About the Conference

Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.