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Behind the Wheel on the Web 3D: Virtual Training for
Traffic
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German-based TUEV NORD Group develops a virtual traffic training course in
Second Life with BUERO X Media Lab from
Hamburg
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Hamburg Sept 21, 2009
Passed the test! For nine days some 2000 future drivers and
other young people tested a learning installation for increased traffic safety
at TUEV NORD’s stand at IdeenExpo 2009 in Hanover, Germany. Eleven traffic
situations were converted into interactive tasks and presented as components of
the “Virtual Training for Traffic” exhibit – simultaneously at the innovations
fair in Hanover and on the 3D platform Second Life.
TUEV NORD Group, active in more than 70 countries around the
world, has been researching and developing Web 3D applications in cooperation
with BUERO X Media Lab for almost two years now. “Training for Traffic” is the
first Second Life installation to be presented to a large real life audience.
LEARNING THE RULES WITH THE EASE OF PLAY
Buses
pulling over, red lights, traffic circles, and no-passing zones – all these
traffic situations appear in the virtual 3D environment. “This offers a glimpse
into the digitally-supported future of learning,” remarks director Hanno
Tietgens of BUERO X, whose team conceived the installation in collaboration
with the experts at TUEV NORD. “Learners sit at the wheel in the form of their
digital avatars, like in a computer game. But serious learning effects can be
observed regarding traffic rules, action taken, sensitivity to dangerous
situations, and other responses.”
When
the digital vehicle encounters a simulated pedestrian in a crosswalk, the
driver must take great care: in case of contact, the drive is over immediately.
The vehicle is automatically sent back to start, and the test person ejected
from the driver’s seat.
But
unlike real life, the simulation always allows another chance to take the
course and finish it without mistakes. Teachers refer to the effects of
immersive education, as the test person is not cramming abstract theory but
rather is actively engaged in doing something; he feels as if he is in the
middle of events, making it easier to remember what has been learned.
WORKING
IN COLLABORATION
Expertise
in many different fields is needed to produce such an installation. For the
sophisticated programming of virtual “Training for Traffic”, BUERO X had
support from their colleagues at Virtyou, Berlin; TUEV NORD staff from Essen,
Hamburg and Hanover were also involved. It took the dispersed team only one
meeting in real life to get things started. All other coordination work and
meetings took place on the internet – within Second Life. “A novel and very
efficient way for a team to work together,” says Tietgens, “involving
practically no travel time or costs.”
Results
were well received by the young audience in Hanover. “The 3D course was a main attraction here
at the exhibition. Kids were standing in line to get a chance to drive,” reports
trainee Mario Grauer. Together with others, he supervised TUEV NORD Group’s
stand at the Expo, with eight insightful exhibits on mobility, environment and
health by this expanding technology service provider.
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR DIGITAL 3D ENVIRONMENTS
“Three-dimensional applications for training or conferencing
will vastly extend the potential of the internet,” says Frank Boerger, director
of Client Management and head of the Web 3D project at TUEV NORD. “Now several
users can meet simultaneously at the same virtual location, watch and handle
the same material in real-time and communicate with tutors and colleagues via
voice chat, a multi-user VoIP application. Within the first year, this
conferencing technology has already covered our initial costs through its use
in training staff members abroad.”
Further
3D projects are also in planning. “More and more ideas keep coming in,” Frank
Boerger notes, “from employees in Germany and from our international
organisation”.
INVITATION
TO A VIRTUAL TEST DRIVE
The
3D installation “Training for Traffic” is currently accessible through
pre-registration only. Interested parties are invited to contact us via E-Mail
at ht@buerox.de. TUEV NORD Group’s 3D
presence can be found on the Second Life virtual world map under the name of
“TUV NORD”, http://slurl.com/secondlife/TUV%20Nord/50/223/33.
About
BUERO X Media Lab
BUERO
X has been helping to shape the German media landscape since 1990, first as
consultants, designers and advertising agency for large publishing firms such
as Hoffmann und Campe, Jahreszeiten Verlag and Gruner + Jahr, then as a
long-time partner for the leading public broadcaster ARD Das Erste, and finally
in the field of corporate communications for financial service providers such
as international Munich Re Group and institutions such as the German Chambers
of Commerce. The Media Lab was founded in the summer of 2006 as the agency’s
research arm. Developments at the vanguard of media convergence and immersive
education are explored and applied in cooperation with private enterprises,
public organizations and universities. Project partners include TUEV NORD Group
(since fall 2007), the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (since March 2007),
University of Hamburg, HAW GameCityLab, Macromedia University for Media and
Communication, and others.
About the TUEV NORD Group
With over 8,400 employees, including more than 6,600 with a
technical and scientific background, the TUEV NORD Group (www.tuev-nord.de) is
one of the largest technical service providers in Germany. It also operates in
over 70 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The Group owes its
leading market position to its technical competence and a broad range of
advisory, service, and testing services in the mobility, industry services,
international, raw materials, education, and human resource fields. Its motto
is “Making our world safer."
Note to editors:
Second Life® and Linden Lab® are registered trademarks of
Linden Research, Inc.
Contact
information:
Hanno
Tietgens
BUERO
X Media Lab
Managing
Director
c/o
Buero X Werbung GmbH
Moenckebergstrasse
10, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
Handelsregister
Hamburg HRB 49057
+49.40.448040-0
E-Mail ht@buerox.de
Photos,
Screenshots and further information
are ready for downloading at http://buerox.3dvisio.de/tuev-nord.