Project Summary

The objective of the Sakshat-Amrita Vocational Education Project (S.A.V.E.) is to enhance the ability of the illiterate and neo-literate sections of society to learn occupational skills through the development of computerized, multimedia enriched , haptics empowered, vocational training programs.

Virtual classroom

– Video Lectures• Video recorded lectures are synchronized with the

transcription of the expert’s speech on the subject matter. This allows the user to easily browse the text with the videos, as needed. Our pedagogical (or strategies of instruction) experiments indicate that redundancy allows the learner to retain the subject matter more effectively.

– Intuitive HCI• All the user screens are designed to be very simple and easy

to use for people with rudimentary educational skills. The Human Computer Interaction (HCI) elements have been carefully analyzed and incorporated. As an example, Figure 6 shows the user login screen. Tutorials teach basics of HCI in an engaging way.

3 D / 2 D A n i m a t i o n s

– Interactive Workbooks• All tutorial content will be supplemented with

interactive multimedia modules. These modules will have exercises and games taking the concept of a workbook to a new dimension. The student will be able to refresh and imprint the knowledge from the classrooms with interactive exercises and games. Further the user can customize one’s module based on personal interest and preferences.

Sample Workbook: Fabric Painting: Picture composition and Balancing

– Haptics enhanced virtual workshops• Interactive Virtual labs will help a carpenter fine

tune his skill set on carving different kinds of wood without having to actually procure all varieties. An aspiring electrician would learn to solder entire circuit boards using a simple serial haptic device

• The background on Sympathetic Haptics, which is the capturing of haptic attributes and its use, extends numerous potential applications. Haptic attributes of vocational skill training can be captured. Finally we could also study the master-slave working model (tele-haptics) where study participants will be “led” through the task of learning a new skill by the expert over the Internet.

• Interactive 3D Tool Library: An interactive 3D gallery where a three dimensional model of the necessary equipments would be made and people will be given provision to interact with it virtually.

Sample Workbook: Fabric Painting: Picture composition and Balancing

Applications using NOVINT Falcon• Simulation:– Simple Harmonic Motion– Filing Wood– Hammering Simulation– Drilling Wood

• Feel:– Textured Ball, Other Complex Shapes,

Spring Connected Sphere, Elastic Surface, Suspended Cube

Screen Shot: Plumbing: Ball peen Hammer

Screen Shot: Plumbing: Round file

HAPTIC Interface Design:o HAPTIC Input Glove

o GLOVE which can sense the posture and orientation of hand

o Applications:o Sign Language Educationo Gesture recognition

Wacom Intuos-3 Tableto Fabric Painting

o Application for teaching for Paintingo Variation in the patterns based on the pressure and tilt

of the stylus

Haptic Input Glove

Customizing the WacomIntuos for Fabric Painting

One degree of freedom Haptic Device designed and built at Amrita

DeploymentS.A.V.E. successfully launched the first deployment starting with the fabric painting module in Idukki, Kerala on October 19th 2009. Collaborating with Amrita-JSS another MHRD venture S.A.V.E. taught 25 women with rudimentary literacy the vocational skill of fabric painting. Women who had never before touched a computer were soon enjoying the experience of painting, mixing colors and tracing patterns on a computer.

 

S.A.V.E and Amrita JSS, Idukki successfully launch “Fabric painting with haptic devices, at Idukki.

Deployment at Idukki: 23 women were taught Fabric Painting using s.a.v.e fabric painting module. First time computer users have fun playing with virtual paints and brushes.

Deployment at Idukki: A fascinating aspect of the deployment was to observe uninhibited creative expression.

Deployment at Idukki: The teaching time was significantly reduced.