Virtual reality has often seemed like a technology in search of a problem, but new research from the University of Nottingham proposes a valuable use case could be emerging in health and safety training.

The researchers developed an immersive VR simulation to allow users to practice escaping from a building in the event of a fire.  The system was designed to stimulate perceptions of temperature as well as provoking a sense of sight, smell and sound.

Participants were placed into a couple of scenarios, including escaping from a virtual office fire.  Some of the volunteers used the VR headset that gave them a multi-sensory sensation, whereas a second group were equipped with VR headsets that only provided a traditional audio-visual experience.

Emergency situations

Previous research has shown that people often lack vital information on how to respond effectively in real-world fire situations, and this significantly hampers their attempts to act in the safest manner possible.  The researchers believe that more immersive training can help people overcome this shortcoming and get to safety should fire strike.

The results showed that users of the multi-sensory simulator acted with greater urgency and were more effective in escaping the fire safely.  When speaking to the volunteers afterwards, they suggested that it made the experience more life like and less like a game.

“Health and safety training can fail to motivate and engage employees and can lack relevance to real-life contexts. Our research, which has been funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, suggests that virtual environments can help address these issues, by increasing trainees’ engagement and willingness to participate in further training. There are also business benefits associated with the use of virtual environment training, such as the ability to deliver training at or near the workplace and at a time that is convenient to the employee,” the researchers say.

Put to the test

A second experiment then compared the effectiveness of the VR simulation against more traditional PowerPoint-based training.  Questionnaires were distributed and volunteers asked to complete them before and after the training session.

The PowerPoint cohort originally appeared to have retained more knowledge when they were quizzed immediately after the training, but when they were tested again a week later, they had retained less of that knowledge than those in the VR group.

“The wheels are turning so that virtual and smart learning is increasingly engrained in the workplace and everyday life,” the researchers explain.  “Technology is continuously advancing and in many cases becoming more affordable, so this study gives us a taste of what’s to come. By improving training strategies with the use of technology and stimulated sensory experiences, we are heading in a direction where the workforce will not just enjoy a more immersive and interesting training course but participate in an effective learning experience, so they are better prepared and equipped to stay safe, healthy and well at work.”

It’s an interesting finding, and you can learn more about the research via the video below.