Abstract:

Nowadays, the convergence of different emerging technologies and the proliferation of mobile devices provides solutions for the creation of new teaching and learning methods at university level in the field of engineering. This article presents the combination of 3D printing and a Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) application designed to improve the spatial visualization of students for the Mechanisms discipline within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Transilvania University of Brasov. 3D printing is used to create laboratory models, which will be used to make it easier to understand the movement of some fundamental mechanisms. Augmented Reality is used to visualize 3D models of mechanisms and to learn the names of their components. The article describes the application development process and presents the result of an evaluation that included a number of 20 students. The application called ARMecs was tested on Android devices and received positive feedback. 3D visualization of moving mechanisms is useful because it gives students a better sensation of dimension and perspective, and they can more easily understand how a mechanism works. Also, integrating text with the names of mechanisms and their components helps them learn faster and retains a longer time in their memories due to the visual connections that are made between the model and the overlapping text. Putting together 3D printed models and animated virtual models, video and text superimposed in the real world brings benefits in understanding and increasing students' interest in learning.

Keywords:

Augmented Reality, 3D printing, learning, mechanisms.