The virtual painting
At Tknika, the Vocational Training Research Centre, they are testing a painting simulator and we have recorded their first visit to a school.
They're automotive students. This morning they have a practical painting session in the workshops of the Colegio Don Bosco. They make mixtures of paint, prepare work tools, put on divers and exercise in this cabin: the door of a car has been painted in blue.
Now they are in the room, without divers, doing the same exercise in a virtual area.
Assisted by JON IKARDO. Professor at the Don Bosco School: Tknika told us about the possibility of testing the simulator. That we can improve when it comes to teaching. We accepted it and we are testing it.
The simulator consists of three elements: Auto-stroboscopic glasses, that is, those that show the image in 3 dimensions, a simulated paint gun and the sensor that detects its position and movements.
Jon Ikardo explains the exercise to the students. On the touchscreen, you can choose different parameters depending on what you want to work with: color, cabin, air pressure, type of gun...
Assisted by XABIER IRAZU. Student of Colegio Don Bosco: When you put on your glasses, you see a booth and the piece to paint. Everything is the same, everything is the same. The machine is very well made.
What Xabier Irazu sees through his glasses is seen on the screen by the other students. You need to position the gun at a certain distance from the virtual piece so that the painting can properly cover it. The angle and speed of the hand are also very important.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: At first, these factors are difficult to control. For this, there are compasses: the distance is measured by this rule. The same with the angle: the red or green arrows show you. And third, speed: it will help us to adapt the movement.
in addition to the 3D image, the system also reproduces sounds from a painting booth where the gun vibrates. Everything to get as close to reality as possible.
Assisted by JON IKARDO. Professor at the Don Bosco School: This system is very similar to reality in terms of weight, handling... It has different regulations. The size of the gun, the weight, the location of the cup... is very accomplished. The painting work is very similar to what we do in the cabin.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: We checked the market. We had contact with the company because we knew a welding simulator. We tried several and after finding this, we wanted to see what benefits it had. And we're getting good results.
The simulator is part of a project called ‘Virtual Fields’. Tknika’s objective: to analyze the possible applications of virtual reality in professional training.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: In our area, simulators are very interesting. There are expensive, dangerous processes, etc. And we can achieve them through virtual reality.
Assisted by JON IKARDO. Professor at the Don Bosco School: Painting a car requires a long process. Take the piece, fix the bumps, tie and tie, cover the car...
In addition, this process is unrepeatable. When applying the paint, there is no turning back. They are chemicals and they react. There is a certain amount of time to apply. To do another practical exercise with this piece you have to wait 4-6 hours.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: These activities are improved by repeated repetitions. This is the greatest strength of the simulator. With this machine, it is possible to perform many exercises in short times. In the workshop, however, an exercise takes a lot of time: preparation, cleaning...
Assisted by XABIER IRAZU. Student of Colegio Don Bosco: It's very good. It saves you time, money too. And you take the hand, because almost everything in the painting is the hand. You can't do anything wrong or right. There are many ways to do one thing.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: Over and over again, you improve your posture, your flexibility... you educate your habits.
At the end of the exercise you can see the result of the work done: the degree of coverage of the paint, the mistakes made, the drops that stop when you give too much... In this way, the student knows where to improve and the teacher can follow the learning process of each one.
Assisted by XABIER IRAZU. Student of Colegio Don Bosco: You see with the gloss that the paint has fallen or is loaded. Small mistakes in reality are hard to see.
Assisted by JON IKARDO. Professor at the Don Bosco School: Technically, I find the machine interesting, especially when it comes to presenting the result. You can see what your speed, your distance, the degree of coverage of the pass... has made measurable what, in reality, you could swear to measure so far.
Taking into account the scores of all these factors, the simulator provides an overall assessment of the exercise. In addition to seeing one’s own progression, it also serves to motivate students. The simulator was very well received.
Assisted by JON IKARDO. Professor at the Don Bosco School: There is a chance to see results. When one is finished, the others want to see what he has done. A healthy pike is formed.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: This is our first contact with the students and, as expected, the reception has been very good. Now we have to organize for the other centers. We want to give everyone a chance.
In the same way that airplane pilots are trained in simulators, this type of machine also has a place in professional training. The heavy machinery of forestry or works, for example, cannot be left in the hands of beginners. Or, as in the case of painting, when long processes and expensive materials are required, simulators serve to save time and resources. They are expensive machines, however, and apprentices cannot make such an investment before making sure they benefit from it.
THE PATXI GUARD. More places to stay in Tknika: We do that in. Analyze, select, bring, we test... Then we educate the teachers, we show them the benefits, we let them try them... and they are quickly encouraged to take them to their classrooms.
The painting simulator is an innovative teaching tool, but this machine does not come to replace hours of practice. The goal is to make the most of the theoretical hours. To learn how to paint, it is essential to stain the diver.
Buletina
Bidali zure helbide elektronikoa eta jaso asteroko buletina zure sarrera-ontzian