Immersive learning in agriculture: XR design of robotic milk production processes

Abstract

During the confinement of COVID-19, learning about virtual and augmented reality grew exponentially; universities were the accelerators of this knowledge. Distance learning was the trigger to consolidate emerging technologies in education and professional life [1], including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Given the rising interest in virtual simulations, this paper targets authentic design challenges and how distributed collaboration may enhance the immersive learning potential by utilising network resource efficiency. According to the Institute for the Future of Education of the Tecnologico de Monterrey, in the Tec21 educational model, the most important part is the challenge, which is defined as a problematic situation posed by the partner trainer, and when analysed, a problema is defined by mutual agreement. The project is defined on this problem. One of our most essential training partners is CAETEC, where we carry out challenges ranging from precision agriculture to data science, experiment design, and forecasting [2] [3]. To 3D model this robot, we need to work with the former partner, whose headquarters are in Sweden, through a collaboration agreement between universities that pursue the same educational purpose. We will work with the University of Mälardalen on the design of the lessons and with the University of Mondragon on the interaction between humans and robots. This research results from joint work between three educational institutions with a multicultural and multidisciplinary project approach.