Session: 17-01-01 Research Posters

Paper Number: 69212

Start Time: Thursday, 02:25 PM

69212 - Innovative Learning Tool Utilizing Computer Vision and Mixed Reality to Provide Hands-on Learning in Mechanics Courses 

The Mechanics Curriculum is a pivotal set of courses taken by Mechanical Engineers which provides a new toolbox of skills to apply their Statics and Dynamics knowledge to solve unknown stresses within solid bodies. This course requires students to observe interactions external to the solid body and apply these observations to determine internal forces. This next level of often unseen stresses can be challenging for young engineers to grasp. A novel, student-focused instructional tool for Mechanics was created to facilitate a student-discovery approach to the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. This tool was designed to be portable and meet the needs of online courses during a time of increased remote learning. Interactive-Mechanics utilizes adaptive computer vision to create a mixed reality online learning experience directly on each student’s computer, without the need for a headset or special hardware. The cross-compatible tool utilizes the student's front-facing cameras on laptops, tablets, or phones to walk students through experiments. The learning tool operates with the main goal of increasing retention of key concepts, as well as catering to Mechanical Engineers who are innately hands-on. Additionally, the tool was created to increase Engineering retention and graduation rates, by connecting each student to course material in a new engaging way. Interactive-Mechanics utilizes the recognition software to create live-updating plots, interactive experimental variables, and guided walk-throughs with the physical beam. This allows students to apply loads with their own hands, and experiment for themselves. Within each unit, students bend their pliable physical beam, and Interactive-Mechanics displays live-updating stress and strain plots which show what is happening within the beam as they load it. The student has the power to pause the experiment, skip back to any frame, and interact with the graphs to draw conclusions. Students are also able to update variables as they experiment, such as altering the cross-section within the simulation, adjusting the Poisson’s ratio, and choosing to display Saint-Venant’s Principle. Accompanying each plot is a description of the key concepts and takeaways, as well as the important equations that can be seen within the plot. Interactive-Mechanics also offers guided tutorials for each unit, walking students through the experiment and prompting them to explore each concept from a variety of perspectives. At the beginning of 2021, Interactive-Mechanics contains units for Axial Loading, Circular Cross-Section Torsion Loading, Square Cross-Section Torsion Loading, Transverse Shear Stress, and Bending Stress; with plans to add units for Elemental Stress, Elemental Shear, Buckling, Combined Loading, and Stress Transformations in the upcoming year. The full extent of classroom implementation methods of this tool is currently being explored; however, initial options include utilizing it as a student experimentation tool to supplement and reinforce the teaching of key concepts for each unit outside of class, and/or as an in-class demonstration aid. Interactive-Mechanics is broken up by unit, and each experiment contains instructions for the specified test, real-world applications of the concepts, further resources for learning, in addition to the live testing elements previously mentioned. To ensure proper conclusions were drawn from experiments, each unit contains a Concept Quiz. These quizzes are intended for students to test core concepts that can be gathered through experimentation. 

 

During this tool's development, Interactive-Mechanics has received feedback from 40 students and 14 professors. There has been excitement about its’ ability to engage and teach students in a new and interactive way. Preliminary tests are being conducted to determine the efficacy of the use of Interactive-Mechanics to raise grades and conceptual understanding. As current students, we shaped the tool to be what we were missing when taking the class originally. We are currently seeking more feedback from students and instructors to improve the project, so come see our poster to learn more and get a live demo. We want to work with you to help create better engineers! 

Presenting Author: Evan Haas University of Kansas

Authors:

Nathan Bennett University of Kansas
Evan Haas University of Kansas