INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL APPLICATION USING VR IN A SMARTPHONE

The use of virtual reality in teaching technical subjects is slowly entering schools. There are specialised tutorials and guides on how to handle expensive easy-to-destroy devices. Interactively manipulating 3D objects in virtual reality, an experimenting student can learn, simulate, and perform work in a completely secure environment. There is also no fear of damaging expensive equipment. In addition, all work can be recorded and then reproduced to show potential errors or praiseworthy moves. Unfortunately, the prices of such virtual reality sets are high. This cost becomes a major obstacle to the popularisation of such learning. The article presents and demonstrates an application that allows to learn mechanics using virtual reality, yet not with costly zSpace or Oculus Rift devices, but popular smartphones.

Using budget VR glasses, the student smartphone controls the objects of the 3D scene using a conventional Bluetooth keypad. By moving away from expensive devices to popular smartphones, there is a high probability of popularising this type of solution on a mass scale. The software in which the sample application was created is also free. This article presents an example course showing the construction and operation principle of an internal combustion engine. The application was presented to a selected group of students and then evaluated by them. This was followed by a discussion the quality of graphics, the feelings associated with virtual reality and the usability and usefulness of this type of solution in the learning process.