Application Development for Education on Scientific Experiments in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, we have begun to hear the word “disinterest in science”. On the other hand, recently, virtual reality (VR) technology that creates artificial environment by computer has been considerably developed. The VR is currently being utilized in various fields such as scientific visualization, medical care, education, training, tourism, and entertainment. Further it is possible to obtain an ideal environment that is difficult to realize in real space, and it is easy to change natural constants. Accordingly, we developed a prototype VR system that anyone can easily perform scientific experiments such as physics and chemistry with simple operation. In this way, this system makes it possible to perform free simulations by setting the ideal environment without the need for preparation and tidying up. Further, considering the cost burden of the user, we suggested a new system on a platform which can be easily prepared by using a smartphone. Furthermore, in this paper, we conducted a questionnaire survey to confirm the effectiveness of this system.