Virtual reality goes AI
Paderborn University develops AI assistance for virtual chemistry lab
Experiments with Bunsen burners and the like outside the laboratory buildings: this is possible at Paderborn University. Students can complete practical courses in the "VirtuChemLab" with the help of VR glasses and thus acquire basic scientific knowledge. This will soon be complemented by the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The "VRLabTutor" project was launched at the beginning of April. Under the coordination of Hendrik Peeters, research assistant in chemistry didactics, the virtual lab is being expanded to include an AI-based assistant that provides support and feedback. The project is being funded for two years with around 360,000 euros by the Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching (StIL) as part of the "FREIRAUM 2025" funding line.
The existing "VirtuChemLab" laboratory already enables students to carry out chemical experiments in a realistic environment, regardless of time and location. A new addition is an adaptive, AI-controlled assistant in avatar form, which gives students direct, individual feedback and answers questions about the experiments. A key feature of the project is the active role of the students: The AI assistant is being developed in an interdisciplinary collaboration between the chemistry didactics department and the "Theory of Distributed Systems" working group at the Institute of Computer Science. Students on the Master's degree course in Computer Science are significantly involved in the form of curriculum-based project groups. Regular user tests by chemistry students ensure that the AI assistance is optimally adapted to the needs of the users. "The project offers our computer science students a unique opportunity to develop innovative technologies such as virtual reality and AI in a practical way and to work directly with users," says Dr. Matthias Fischer, who is leading the project on the computer science side.
"Our aim is to use individual, AI-supported feedback to better prepare students for real-life laboratory situations and thus reduce possible uncertainties. In this way, we are specifically supplementing the real laboratory practicals and creating an innovative learning environment," explains project coordinator Peeters. Prof. Dr. Sabine Fechner, Professor of Chemistry Didactics, adds: "The individual, AI-based feedback not only helps students to practise basic procedures in the chemistry lab, but also raises their awareness of potential hazards and safety-relevant aspects in the real lab at an early stage."
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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