Representation of machines and mechanisms in augmented reality for educative use

• Published in: International journal on interactive design and manufacturing 2022-06, Vol.16 (2), p.643-656
• Main Authors: Urbina Coronado, Pedro Daniel, Demeneghi, José Augusto Amador, Ahuett-Garza, Horacio, Orta Castañon, Pedro, Martínez, Manuel Martínez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applications programs; Augmented reality; CAE) and Design; Cellular telephones; Classrooms; Collaboration; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Construction accidents & safety; Educational technology; Electronic devices; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Engineering Design; Engineering education; Environmental science; Ergonomics; Industrial Design; Innovations; Instrumentation; Learning; Mechanical Engineering; Mobile computing; Multimedia; Original Paper; Representations; Science education; State-of-the-art reviews; Students; Technological change; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 1955-2513; 1955-2505
• DOI: 10.1007/s12008-022-00852-x

Mobile devices and augmented reality are powerful technological advances used in a wide area of applications and with great potential in engineering education. Nowadays, education, in general, faces several challenges, among them, keeping the attention and engagement of the students in the classroom and motivating the students to self-learn. Augmented reality (AR) is an option to reverse this situation. This work presents an analysis of current augmented reality technologies and a review of the current state-of-the-art of augmented reality introduced in teaching, especially focusing on engineering at the undergraduate level. This research aims to investigate the impact of AR on student attitude, engagement, and student understanding of the concepts of mechanical engineering. The contribution of this work is the generation of an augmented reality app for mobile devices to aid in the understanding of planar mechanisms by displaying models of simple machines. The augmented reality simulation allows the three-dimensional representation of the planar mechanisms as well as several possible interactions, plots, and calculations. The students used the mobile app and solved a simple exercise. Furthermore, a questionnaire was applied to capture their perceptions of using augmented reality in their classes of mechanical engineering. The evaluation of the exercise, as well as the results of the questions, indicated that the students had a positive perception of the use of augmented reality in the classroom. Also, augmented reality increased their engagement and improved their comprehension of the components of the mechanisms.