Development of an Educational Platform for Simulation Developers
(Room S320D)
27 Nov 18
5:00 PM
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5:30 PM
With simulators being used in numerous fields more often than ever, the demand for skilled engineers and software developers is high. To address this issue, an educational platform is needed to attract and train future simulation specialists. This paper provides insight into the modernization process of the platform, examples of usage in the teaching process and its effects.
The platform is based on a replica of SW-4, a Polish light helicopter, used for training purposes. The simulator is used by students and researchers at the Warsaw University of Technology since 2009. Throughout the years of operation, two problems limited its educational use. Firstly, the software was unique to the platform and required expertise to modify. This proved to be difficult for students not acquainted with this framework. Secondly, the rendering engine lagged behind its contemporary counterparts. As helicopter flights take place near the ground with low speed, an accurate representation of the surroundings is important. To resolve these problems, a choice was made to use off-the-shelf software, which not only allowed for easy modifications, such as implementing flight models, textures and training scenarios created by students but also contained a state-of-the-art rendering engine. However, this required custom middleware which would provide a means of communication between the hardware and the software, while also being backwards compatible. It was fully developed by the authors, as part of the modernization project.
The pilots confirmed a vast improvement in the fidelity of the simulator. An influx of students undertaking projects on the platform has been observed. With plans to introduce courses incorporating elements of simulation software development and engineering problems connected to it, these numbers will grow. Since commonly available software is used, the experience and knowledge gained by the students during their projects can be easily transferred to their future work en