Output of Work & Research

Modular Building Institute sponsored student poster competition for the University of New Brunswick’s Offsite Construction Research Centre Conference; Stephen Elms, Hannah Coldwell, Tom Hardiman, and Jessica Cisneros Gonzalez
1st place Certificate: Stephen Elms - Immersive Training Solutions: The potential role of extended reality for safety and skill development in offsite construction.
Stephen J Elms with his academic poster; Immersive Training Solutions: The potential role of extended reality for safety and skill development in offsite construction.

Stephen Elms Wins First Place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition at TCOT2024

Stephen Elms, a PhD candidate at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction and the Knowledge Lab at UCL Institute of Education, recently attended the Transforming Construction with Off-Site Methods and Technologies (TCOT2024) conference held at the University of New Brunswick in Canada from August 20-22. Stephen was awarded first place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition for his submission titled “Immersive Training Solutions: The Potential Role of Extended Reality for Safety and Skill Development in Offsite Construction.”

Stephen’s poster examined the potential application of Extended Reality (XR) technologies—encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—to transform vocational education and training (VET) within the offsite construction industry. Offsite construction, characterized by the prefabrication of building components, demands specific skills that traditional training methods may not fully address. XR technology offers immersive, risk-free simulations for enhancing safety training, heavy machinery operation, and spatial awareness.

Stephen’s research is supervised by Prof. Jacqui Glass, Dean of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, and Dr. Jennifer Rode at The Knowledge Lab, UCL Institute of Education. His first-place recognition underscores his commitment to advancing offsite construction through workforce training solutions.

Cover image of November/December 2024 issue of Modular Advantage

Stephen Elms Published in November/December issue of Modular Advantage

Stephen Elms, a PhD candidate at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction and the Knowledge Lab at UCL Institute of Education, was recently invited to contribute an article to _Modular Advantage_, the bi-monthly publication of the Modular Building Institute (MBI). This invitation followed Stephen’s first-place award in the Graduate Student Poster Competition at TCOT2024, where he presented his research on the application of Extended Reality (XR) technologies for workforce training in the offsite construction industry. His article, _“Building Skills in a Virtual World: Immersive Training for the Modern Workforce,”_ explores how XR can enhance safety and skills training, offering innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the construction sector. 

 

Virtual Reality (VR): VR is a fully immersive digital environment that users can interact with as if it were real. Users typically wear headsets that block out the real world and create a sense of presence in a virtual space.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Augmented Reality (AR): AR overlays digital information onto the real world. Unlike VR, users see and interact with their physical environment, with layers of digital content. This can be experienced through devices like smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Mixed Reality (MR): MR blends both physical and digital worlds, allowing for interactions with both environments in real-time. It is more immersive than AR, as digital and real-world objects can coexist and interact seamlessly.

Mixed Reality (MR)

Tangible User Interface (TUI): TUI involves the physical manipulation of digital information through physical objects. These interfaces involve physical objects that can be grasped and manipulated to control digital functions.

Tangible User Interface (TUI)