From 2024 to 2027, Politecnico di Milano is participating in the VRChem Innovative Integration of Virtual Reality in Chemical Engineering Education project, funded by the Polish National Agency of the Erasmus+ Programme under Action 2 – Cooperation Partnerships.
The project is led by the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering at Cracow University of Technology in Poland and involves an international consortium of universities comprising Lodz University of Technology (Poland), University of Aveiro (Portugal), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and University of Cadiz (Spain).
The VRChem project responds to the needs of contemporary education by promoting innovative learning and teaching practices and supporting the development of digital and green skills at university level. In this context, virtual reality (VR) technology offers students, teachers and researchers the opportunity to visualise and interact with equipment and processes.
The development and teaching of chemical engineering are inevitably linked to conducting experiments, which are often limited by reaction rates, the costs and size of equipment, participant safety, and other practical issues. Highly immersive, interactive and sensory VR technologies can help visualise objects and concepts in three dimensions and promote more effective learning.
Project activities
A key aspect of implementing VR technology in teaching is professional support, particularly for teachers and researchers who have no previous experience in a VR environment. As part of the project, a guide for teachers interested in integrating VR technology into their courses will be developed. METID will coordinate this activity.
The next phase of the project involves the creation of a VR platform featuring practical and engaging scenarios and exercises in a virtual environment. These will allow students to interactively explore complex chemical processes, increasing their engagement in the learning process.
The realistic 3D representation of chemical plants will provide a better understanding of how individual elements of an installation function in reality and will make it possible to test equipment before its actual installation, identifying potential design errors. VR will also allow users to learn in a safe, controlled and risk-free environment.
Another planned feature of the platform is the possibility of virtually exploring devices by “dissecting” them and observing the processes taking place inside them. The VR platform will operate in an open environment, where anyone, after registering, will be able to explore the published materials. This activity has been entrusted to specialists from the VOXEL Research Lab at Lodz University of Technology and the DigiMedia group at the University of Aveiro.
The educational and training materials created for students and academics, together with the VR platform, will be tested at each of the project’s partner universities.
An inter-university community
The VRChem project also includes the creation of an inter-university community with extensive experience in the development and use of virtual reality, the application of innovative teaching methodologies, and the creation of effective educational materials and content for teaching chemical engineering.
The project results will provide new ideas and insights for teachers and universities to make chemical engineering education more engaging. The experiences gained by students through VR will also enable them to develop skills that will better prepare them for future professional challenges.
Project partners:
- Cracow University of Technology, Poland – Coordinator
- Lodz University of Technology, Poland
- University of Aveiro, Portugal
- Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- University of Cadiz, Spain
Find out more about the project: vrchem.pk.edu.pl
