Skip to main content

Case – VR Training for wind turbine maintenance

Case – VR Training for wind turbine maintenance

This case describes a wind-turbine generator maintenance training program developed with an immersive authoring tool that allows expert trainers to design the VR training from inside the virtual environment itself.1,4 The ILCS method is used here to organise the description and interpretation.

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

1. Case identification

  • Case title:
    VR Training for wind turbine generator maintenance
  • Contributors:
    Case description adapted by Dennis Beck and Leonel Morgado from the work of Fernando Cassola and colleagues at INESC TEC and Vestas Wind Systems.1,4
  • Original source(s):
    Cassola et al., “Design and Evaluation of a Choreography-Based Virtual Reality Authoring Tool for Experiential Learning in Industrial Training” (IEEE TLT).4
    Supplementary materials and media: https://vrtraining.inesctec.pt/5
  • Time frame:
    Study conducted with professionals from an international wind-energy company between 2018 and 2021 (publication 2022).4
Trainer and trainee working with VR training setup for wind turbine maintenance View of the virtual wind turbine generator model inside the VR training Physical wind turbine generator used for certification after VR training

2. Short description (abstract)

Expert trainers from a wind-energy company use an immersive authoring tool to design a multi-step VR course on generator disassembly and maintenance, based directly on existing technical documentation and CAD models of a real turbine.4,5 Trainees practise the procedures on a virtual generator, with access to documents and replays of expert demonstrations; their actions are recorded as “virtual choreographies” and checked against the expert specification. After training in VR, technicians perform the same procedure on a physical generator for certification, using the tool-generated analytics to compare virtual and real performance. The case focuses on how immersion supports authentic, risk-free rehearsal of complex maintenance procedures.

3. Context and participants

  • Educational level and setting:
    Workplace training in industrial maintenance. Sessions were conducted in a controlled laboratory with VR equipment, followed by certification in a warehouse using a physical generator model.4
  • Discipline / subject area:
    Mechanical and electrical engineering; wind-turbine generator maintenance; industrial safety.
  • Number and profile of learners:
    Nine male participants in total: two expert trainers for course authoring, six professionals for trainee experience, and two technicians for certification (one overlapping between phases). Ages ranged roughly from early 20s to mid-40s, with field experience from 2 to 10+ years and qualifications from secondary school to master’s degree.4
  • Other stakeholders:
    Vestas Wind Systems (industrial partner), INESC TEC (R&D), Universidade Aberta, and the broader immersive learning research community through iLRN.1,4
  • Constraints or special conditions:
    • Training must mirror real generator components and procedures closely, using CAD-based models for high visual fidelity.4,5
    • Risky or time-consuming operations are rehearsed virtually to avoid damage and reduce downtime.
    • Small group
Back to top