Complementing Learning Factories with Virtual Reality Technology – Examination and Summary of Practical Applications

The use of virtual reality (VR) is numerous and various advantages can be observed depending on the application. Integrating VR in learning factories can be a meaningful complementation to the existing physical infrastructure and help to overcome limitations like financial resources, space or individualizability. This paper examines the use of VR in learning factories and out-lines expected advantages on a specific use case. To give a first overview potential advantages of VR usage in learning factories are identified. In addition, existing learning modules in the institute’s own learning factory are evaluated regarding their potential of transfer to or complementation with VR. The findings are summarized in an overview of use cases, including the expected potential advantages of using VR. Use cases are evaluated regarding criteria like feasibility, potential added value, and usability. The paper describes a realized use case in terms of implementation procedure and first user experiences. The investigated case involves the planning of an own learning factory layout considering the knowledge previously acquired in the course. The reported experiences show, that physical learning factories can benefit from meaningful and practical complementation with VR as new advantages and potentials are unlocked. Future research can build on these findings of potential use cases and identified advantages.