AR/VR for Multiphysics Learning

Goals

Develop immersive VR environments around systems that involve multiple physical phenomena (mechanical stress and thermal effects, or thermal effects and acoustics). An immersive and interactive VR environment will foster situated learning, improving performance and knowledge transfer. We can leverage the visual, auditory, and haptic feedback of VR technologies to help users understand complex systems. For heat transfer, we may use colors to represent temperature; for acoustics, we may play audio; for structural mechanics, we may use haptic feedback to indicate how stiff a physical object is; for electromagnetics, we may use color and audio to represent strength and frequency; etc.

Issues Involved or Addressed

Engineering challenges often necessitate multiphysics integration, which refers to the simultaneous consideration of multiple physical processes interacting with each other within a system. For example, multiphysics integration is frequently sought when designing electric machines (EMs) and microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices. EMs are at the heart of electric vehicles (EVs), wind energy generation, and various industrial processes, propelling these essential applications forward. Through EMs, > 90% of global electricity is generated, 45% of which is turned into mechanical work. Multiphysics integration can effectively improve their thermal performance, structural integrity, power density, and enable new functionality, etc. MEMS technologies enable the creation of sensors, actuators, and microsystems that are critical to consumer, medical, and defense applications. A recent study shows that the current market size of MEMS is $16.8B and it is projected to be $25.3B by 2029. Multiphysics integration is desired for MEMS devices to function accurately and reliably, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes used in smartphones and automotive airbag systems. Lack of World Language: These processes governing the physical world include acoustics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, solid deformation, electromagnetics, etc. These are described by partial differential equations (PDEs). However, these processes and PDEs are often taught separately in various departments and multiple courses of engineering, making them difficult for students outside of the specific discipline to comprehend. Such a curriculum setting forms language barriers among engineers of different backgrounds and does not help with multiphysics integration. As an analogy, world languages are established to facilitate communication and collaboration in human society. Similarly, in engineering, such world languages easily understood by engineers would cultivate multiphysics competence and thus empower them to better solve engineering challenges. The AR/VR content to be created will serve as the companion modules for learning such “world language”.