Exploring the Virtual Frontier

Abstract

Augmented and virtual reality technologies are rapidly transforming the engineering profession, providing new opportunities for training and skills development. This chapter explores the potential of these technologies for engineering education, examining their benefits and challenges, ethical and privacy concerns, and the need for standards and guidelines to ensure their safety. AR and VR can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enable engineers to work more collaboratively. Some potential risks and ethical issues to consider include privacy concerns. Safety concerns, as AR and VR can have a strong impact on the user's perception of reality, leading to accidents and injuries if not used responsibly. Social isolation, which is the immersive nature of AR and VR, can lead to users being cut off from the real world and spending more time in a virtual environment. It also provides an overview of current applications of AR and VR in engineering, highlighting the growing use of these technologies in industries such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering.