PRAXIS
The Brief: Final Major Project & Technical Development
The product will aim to take inspiration from VR-based training solutions currently available and in use and solve immersion problems currently encountered in this area. The product will be ergonomic and mimic real objects as closely as possible in order to establish improved muscle memory skills in students. In addition, the product will also aim to be as cost effective as possible, which is currently a key issue with the implementation of VR-based training solutions in the industry. The product will also need to provide a level of haptic feedback to the user, which is another key area for improvement for VR-based solutions, as having refined fine motor skills is essential in this industry. The product will have a focus area of the dental industry, as this is one of the main areas that only has limited VR training implementation.
My final solution to the brief met these initial expectations, and is an effective solution for the current gap in the market for a VR training system that allows for freedom of movement while providing all necessary feedback needed for better and faster learning.
Project Completed: Spring 2020
RESEARCH
Before beginning initial design ideas for the product, I first had to do extensive research into the subject area.
I got the inspiration for this brief from the topic of my dissertation: 'Assessing how Recent Technological Advancements within Medical Provision have Revolutionised the Healthcare Industry'. This research paper allowed me to explore the field and examine how new and upcoming technological advancements were having an influence on the conduct of all aspects of the medical industry. Virtual Reality was brought to my attention in this field from its implementation in surgical practice, and had proven to be incredibly effective in ensuring patient safety and allowing students and professionals to learn new procedures and assess their ability in a safe way. The design development I had also completed in the University Competition with VRSS also gave me some early insight into how I could incorporate the technical elements into a different design in this field.
As I knew there were already multiple solutions available for surgical practice, I decided to explore the dental industry as there seemed to few products available and none that solved some fundamental training issues that VR could assist with. To gain more insight on this, I conducted a survey for dental and medical professionals to identify where the key issues lay.
SURVEY RESULTS
INITIAL CONCEPTS
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, most of the development of the project took place while working from home, meaning that the model making element of the project had to be substituted solely for CAD. Due to this, I modelled all technical details of the standardised components as well as the original ones as much as possible and added additional design features such as a twist lock feature for the heads, over moulded grips for the outer casing, and a spring-loaded haptic feedback element in order to make the product as realistic and functional as possible.
The Charging Station, inspired by powered handpiece docks used in dental practice, makes the product a complete package and allows for docking and charging of all elements of the product.
SOLIDWORKS PROTOTYPING AND DEVELOPMENT
BRANDING
FINAL LOGO
CONCEPT SIMULATION GRAPHICS
As part of the product, the design of the virtual simulation environment also had to be considered. As such, the graphics shown are an illustration of how I would conceive the interface to look, with the button being used to point and toggle between the head options to select which is currently in use, The haptic feedback element would provide the user with real time feedback when applying excessive force in an exercise, and alert them to this in order to help gain vital tactile skills faster.
FINAL VISUALS
FINAL PRESENTATION BOARDS
