This award is to Pine Technical College to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-04556).
Partners The partners include Pine Technical College (Lead Institution), University of Minnesota, and Dupont Performance Coatings.
The primary objective is to produce effective new simulation-based training tools for the automotive collision repair industry.
The proposed effort concentrates on adaptation and application of new computer graphics and simulation research in the improvement of existing virtual reality-based training tools, new research into the convergence of paint development technology and realistic computer rendering of colors, application of the new technology to real-world training tools, development of new curriculum materials to enhance the training benefits of new and existing simulation-based training tools, provision of research opportunities for undergraduate students.
Potential Economic Impact
The effort will produce economic benefits through new commercial products and intellectual property. The cost efficiency and environmental improvements of the automotive collision repair industry will significantly reduce collision insurance costs nationwide.
The intellectual merit of the project lies in the adaptation and application of new computer graphics and simulation research in the improvement of existing virtual reality-based training tools. New research into the convergence of paint development technology and realistic computer rendering of the resulting colors and attributes, and its application to new real-world training tools to meet difficult training challenges are key features of this effort.
The broader impacts of the activity concentrate on integration of research, education, training, and innovation for a segment of the automotive industry that has lagged in technology insertion. The new uses for computer-based virtual reality for training can be adapted to a broad range of other subjects.
