Training class testing virtual reality tool

Air-conditioning and refrigeration students at TAFE SA, a vocational education and training school in South Australia, will trial the new Lenovo Mirage Solo virtual reality (VR) headsets with specifically designed virtual tours of dangerous environments.

The VR pilot program encompasses three refrigerant safety courses, including a next-generation CO₂ refrigeration system running in a new supermarket, an ammonia system running at an ice factory, and flammable refrigerants. Through these programmes, students will be taught how to identify workplace hazards in real-world settings, without needing to step in a real machinery room.

Lateral Vision, a start-up based in Adelaide, Australia, was chosen to team up with TAFE SA to create the virtual tours and environments that students will use for their training.

Using a special 360-degree camera that records stereoscopic imagery, a VR headset enables students to see objects as if they were real, including a representative size of machinery and equipment.

If the test programme proves to be successful, TAFE SA would aim to have a headset for each class by the end of the year.