Development of Virtual Equipment for a Hydraulic Mechanics Experiment

Laboratory class is very important in the education of hydraulic mechanics. However, it usually requires a high expenditure on equipment purchase and maintenance. Virtual equipment that renders the equipment in a virtual world and provides an interactive interface for users can be an ideal solution to reduce costs. In this research, we focus on developing virtual equipment for a Venturi tube experiment. We employed multiple paper-prototypes to gather user feedback on the preliminary design. Following the final prototype, we then implemented the virtual equipment on computers. Interactive functions have been built into the virtual equipment. Users are able to manipulate the equipment and obtain real-time feedback as if they were using actual equipment. The results show that the development of the virtual equipment is technically feasible.