Control basics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• VR controllers
• Workflow
• Moving objects
• Moving substances, pouring liquids and powders
• Spilling: when you overfill a flask
• Granules
• Warnings and errors
• Critical errors
• Interacting with interfaces
• Interactive help screen
• Spawner
• Destroyer
• Restoring containers
• Assignments
• Tasks
• Task completion
• Grading of task completion

Manipulations by VR controllers

All the lab manipulations are performed within the controller buttons. Both controllers are programmed to have the same functionality. For the moment, hand tracking is not supported. 

To simplify the lab interactions and to accelerate the control basics learning, there are only few buttons used in the lab

Different controllers may have slightly different locations and names of the buttons.

There are two main methods of interacting with the controller buttons:

Workflow

Vic's Science studio app is not a self-learning app, but a set of lab practicals that are designed to be introduced by a teacher who decided to make the app the practical component of the lesson. Regarding that, only a few guidance is provided in the lab as it's assumed that all the necessary onboarding process is done in advance outside the lab environment. The content is available in Task or Assignment sections in the menu.

None of the tasks require walking/leaning during the work so there is no risk to catch motion sickness and the space needed for studying for one student is maximum 200*200 cm (the entire lab desk is 160*90 cm)

After entering a Task or Assignment, the student is facing a laboratory bench. Everything required to complete the task is placed on the table in front of the student, including a tablet with the task description.

If this is your first time in this environment, look around. Try to pick up the tablet with one hand and read the objective. Once the objective is achieved (or before), activate the “beam” (press controller button) and complete the task by tapping “Submit task”.

Moving objects

Use the trigger button to move objects around. To move an object, bring your controller to the object until its outline is highlighted. With the item highlighted, press the trigger to pick up the object. As the trigger is released, the object is released too.

Some objects work differently: when the trigger is pressed, the object “sticks” to the hand and must be released by pressing the Grip button (ex. digital pipettor).

Pouring liquids and powders

This method is suitable for transferring rough quantities of solids or liquids. To do this, pick the container from which you intend to pour a substance and bring its mouth to the mouth of the target container. Once the mouths are close enough, both containers become highlighted. Then tilt the container while keeping the mouths nearby until the substance starts to pour into the receiving container. The transfer between the containers continues as long as they are highlighted. 

The receiving container may be located on the bench or held in hand. The stronger you tilt the container, the faster the substance is transferred.

Spilling: overfilling a flask

If you continue to pour liquid into a flask that is already full, the excess liquid will simply be spilled on the bench without mixing with the liquid in the flask or interacting with it in any way. If you pick up a flask that is filled to the top, a small amount of the liquid inside will most likely be immediately spilled. Avoid overfilling containers.

If a container is filled to the brim with a colorless liquid, it can be hard to notice.

Granules

You can interact with metal granules just with any other object in the laboratory: bring the controller to the object until it is highlighted, then press the trigger to pick it up. Granules can be placed in some containers to observe reactions. Please do not put more than one granule in a single flask.

Warnings and errors

If a substance wouldn't pour or a piece of glassware wouldn't interact with an instrument, look up and to the right from the workbench. This is where hints will pop up if the user does something wrong.

Critical errors

When a red icon with an exclamation sign appear over a container, this means that the model couldn't process all that happened with chemicals in the container. The container is disposed of in a few seconds. 

Interacting with interfaces

Interactions with the menu, screens and instrument interfaces in the laboratory are possible in two ways: using either hands (controller) or the beam. Use the menu (A/X on Quest controllers) button to toggle between these modes.

Manual interactions:

If an instrument or other object is easy to reach, you can simply bring the controller to the screen, and the virtual hand will extend the index finger. The interface interaction point is at the end of the finger. It works just like your smartphone screen in real life. Press the controller trigger to tap the sensor screen.

Beam interactions:

As tools and interfaces are sometimes located far away, you will need the second interaction tool, the pointer beam. Press the menu button on your controller to switch to the beam mode and back. In the beam mode the virtual hand disappears, and a laser pointer-like beam comes out of the controller. This beam can activate any interface at any distance. You can click in this mode by pressing the trigger.

Interactive screen

There is a movable interactive screen to the left of the laboratory bench. You can put it in a convenient position by gripping the handle at the bottom or leave it in its original position to the left. The screen can display reference information, tables or a uniform black and white background. Use the background if you need to view something in the incident or transmitted light and determine the color and opacity of a substance.

The screen interface is easiest to operate in the beam mode; see the corresponding section of this manual to find out more.

Spawner

There can be one or more “spawners” (labware dispensers) on the bench so you don't have to place all the spare pieces of glassware and other items on the bench. The spawners are equipped with an interactive screen and a dispensing area.

The interactive screen shows the name of the currently selected item to be dispensed; you can replace it with another one by tapping on the gear icon in the corner of the screen if the task allows that.

The selected item appear in the dispensing area if it is not occupied. A new one will appear as soon as the previous one is removed from the spawner.

Destroyer

A destroyer, which is usually available somewhere in the laboratory, helps keep the bench free of glassware that is dirty or no longer required. It is similar to the spawner in appearance but features a recycling symbol on its panel.

Place a piece of dirty or unneeded glassware or another item on the disposal platform to dispose of it. If you put an item on the disposal platform in error, you have a very short time to remove it before it is destroyed. Remember that disposal cannot be undone.

Depending on the current task, the destroyer and/or spawner may be unavailable.

Restoring containers

Some containers (most commonly reagent containers) are delivered to the bench without using the dispensing platform. If you happen to break a reagent bottle, it will most likely reappear at the location where it was at the start of the task, unless that location is occupied. A reagent container may fail to reappear if its original location is occupied or if task specifications do not allow it to be resupplied.

Assignments

An assignment consists of a series of tasks that must be completed either in sequence or in an arbitrary order and usually created and assigned by the teacher.

• Each task in an assignment has a minimum, passing and maximum grade, which sum up to the minimum, passing and maximum grade for the entire assignment.
• Assignments must be performed before the specified deadline.
• Assignments are issued through the user profile and are normally handed out by teachers.
• All active assignments and tasks, completion progress and deadlines can be viewed under the Assignments menu item in the central part. Task details and available actions are displayed in the right-hand window whenever a task is selected in the central window.

Tasks

A task is the smallest part of a laboratory experiment. Task objectives description is usually displayed on the tablet.

• Special access privileges are required for performing actions with individual tasks, which are normally only available for the Teacher access level or more advanced levels.
• In this mode of operation, tasks may be completed, but performance statistics will not be saved, and self-check results are displayed at the end of the task.
• Users with higher access levels can create, edit, copy and delete tasks. These features are currently available in the early access mode.

Task completion

To complete the task, you need to achieve the task objectives, place the required reagents or objects on the test platform and press “Submit task”. If the task was not performed within a specific assignment, completion statistics will be displayed, and you will be able to return to the menu. If the task was completed within an assignment, statistics will be sent to the server, and your progress will be saved. Remember that if you complete a task within an assignment with a minimum grade or better, this result cannot be overwritten.

Grading of task completion result

The results of task completion are automatically controlled by test platforms (so-called autocheckers). The grading is always based on analyzing of the container composition by the model. The autochecker is programmable to check various parametres - mass, quantity, concentration of components and their combination, temperature of the system etc. For the user, it works as follows:

• There may be one or more test platforms on the table.
• Test platforms come in various sizes: from one to six.
• Depending on the size, you can place one to six items on the test platform.
• You will receive one point for each correctly placed item.
• Incorrect items do not affect your grade.
• Each platform has a maximum score, which cannot be exceeded even by placing more correct items on the platform.
• The platform's maximum score is task-specific; be prepared that a four-item platform may yield a maximum of just one point.
• If the total score of test platforms within a task is not less than the passing grade, the task is considered completed. You may complete it again, but only the results of the first passing attempt will be saved.
• If the total score of the platforms is less than the passing grade, the task is not considered completed, and you may attempt to complete the task again and receive a higher grade.