Virtual and Augmented Reality: The Future for Training the Manufacturing Workforce

The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems-Extension congratulates Dr. Emily S. Wall, CAVS-E's Research Engineer, on her recent accomplishments. Emily graduated Spring 2021 from the doctorate program of Mississippi State University's Industrial and Systems Engineering department. Centered on human factors and design for virtual reality, Emily's dissertation, titled "An empirical study of virtual reality menu interaction and design," focused on different virtual graphical user interface (GUI) designs and how well humans interacted with each design. Her research showed that spatial locations, the intuitiveness of GUI selection, and the perception of distance when wearing a VR headset all affect the user's reaction time and overall task accuracy. The results of the research not only helped to further the industrial engineering body of knowledge but are also applicable to information that supports warfighter research and development efforts for the DoD. The lessons learned from her research assist in the future development of virtual reality and augmented reality training. These new types of learning methods are the future for training the manufacturing workforce in the state. The more user-friendly the GUIs and virtual environments, the easier and more effective the training becomes. Dr. Wall plans to continue her role at CAVS-E as a Research Engineer working with companies across the state.