2 minute read
HOLOGRAPHIC HARDHATS AHEAD
by isuengr
Liam Lenahan (junior in civil engineering) and assistant professor Roy Sturgill are breaking into the next dimension of structural design through a very construction-style medium: hard hats.
Once you put the hard hats on, you see an entirely different 3D universe.
The Third Dimension Of Structural Design
Sturgill and Lenahan’s project currently consists of six hard hats, that aren’t just for the purpose of protection. Each Trimble hardhat is outfitted with a HoloLens. When wearing the hat, anyone can see project designs, blueprints and almost anything in 3D. Lenahan is researching how to have the best effectiveness of the hats, how to operate them and how they can best be used for education in the classroom.
After months of trial and error and with guidance from Sturgill, Lenahan has brought the hard hat to life, and can now upload almost anything to the software and view it through the hat. Lenahan and Sturgill prepared six hats for classes in CCEE to help advance education and experience in the department.
“Right now, we teach everything in 2D,” Sturgill said. “Even though it is on a computer screen, we are still very much living in a paper world in how we teach our classes. But in construction, the industry is moving into this 3D environment, so we need to start getting our students prepared to see that in the field.”
CCEE integrates visualization beyond hard hats. Since last fall, assistant professor Yunjeong “Leah” Mo has been utilizing virtual reality in multidisciplinary research for the department. The Surprenant Interactive Visualization Lab features both VR goggles for individuals, and a projector-based environment to immerse participants in a virtual world — together. In the lab, Mo and her student team use real-world simulations to analyze building energy and occupant behavior through interaction with the virtual environment and user-perspective tracking.
“I know the industry needs a lot more people that have experience with these visualization technologies,” Mo said. “So, if Cyclone Engineering students are exposed to this new technology, it’s really great for their learning and future careers.”
