Introduction

Toyota has always been on the forefront of providing a safe work environment based on it’s founder’s ‘5S rules’. These rules are employed in every car dealership and workplace to provide maximum security and safety resulting in better results and an overall better quality control.

Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA Technical Centre is one of the leading training centres inside the Toyota Group when talking about safety housing their unique ‘Safety dojo’. A collection of physical setups showing the different hazards on the workfloor and how to them or how to minimize injuries in the case of an event.

Vires was asked to create an extension to the safety dojo using Virtual Reality.

Together with project leader Raf Mues our team came up with 4 distinct scenarios where hazard prevention is key.

The concept

Vires developed 4 scenarios where the user always encounters at least one safety hazard. The key is to train the player in choosing the correct way of dealing or preventing these hazards.

Before entering the workplace, the user is introduced to his virtual avatar.
The purpose of the safety dojo is to get through all the exercises whilst keeping your avatar injury free. A simple task if the correct safety guidelines are followed!

One way to prevent a lot of injuries starts with wearing the correct clothing for the job, so we added a virtual changing room where the user has access to all kinds of outfits and accessories

After selecting the correct outfit, the user can start executing simple tasks on the virtual Toyota Avensis.

The preparation

A virtual workplace was developed in 3D Studio Max. A combination of models sourced from external parties and custom modelling.

The outside of the Toyota Avensis was bought but the inside (engine compartment and engine + loose parts) was 3D Scanned (Artec blue light). After a thorough cleanup everything was put together and development could begin.

The execution

The entire application is developed using Unity and targeted for the HTC Vive.
We also tossed in an additional HTC Vive tracker so we can check the player’s posture when lifting heavy objects

Because of our modular approach work on all four scenarios could be done simultaneously resulting in a quick turnaround from storyboard to final product.

Interaction and UX

The interaction with the virtual world has been kept to a bare minimum to keep the focus on the message rather than being a simulator.

While our other applications use intricate ways to manipulate objects using virtual tools, the approach here is a simple aim and click principle. Some interactions do require two hands but only because they are necessary to prove specific safety criteria.

We tried to use as few labels as possible, instead guiding the user using ant-lines on the floor, highlights on interactable objects and laser beams to point to possible drop targets.

The result

The application was finished in the first quarter of 2018 and installed on one of our custom build computers that comes in a custom tailored flightcase. This way it’s not only guaranteed to work 100% of the time but it’s also easy to transport and install on different locations.

The application has been played by dozens of people ranging from technical staff to management and has been received positively.