Background

Fourth Reality Ltd, an Irish virtual reality studio, developed a VR training application for the engineering department at SETU Carlow (South East Technological University, formerly IT Carlow). The goal was a modular VR experience that lets engineering students learn how to set up and operate a fatigue tester — a sensitive and time-constrained piece of laboratory equipment — before they work with the real machine.

The deployment

The application presents multiple task-driven training modules that students progress through, rehearsing the setup and operation of the fatigue tester in a realistic virtual environment. Because access to the physical equipment is limited, the VR app lets a much larger number of students gain hands-on procedural experience in a shorter space of time, then transfer that knowledge to the real device.

The experience uses realistic environments and detailed, correctly scaled equipment models combined with full VR interactions, intended to build durable practical knowledge that students can carry into the lab.

Tracking and administration

A backend user-logging system lets course coordinators review each student's time spent in the app and the actions they logged within each module, giving instructors visibility into engagement and progress.

Hardware and software

The app is delivered as a native VR application. SETU's own equipment inventory lists standalone Meta Quest 2 head-mounted displays as the university's VR hardware, consistent with the headset shown in the project's promotional material.