Battery Safety Training in Virtual Reality

Abstract

This thesis explores the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) as a platform for industrial safety training, using the emerging Swedish battery industry as a case study. With the increasing demand for a skilled workforce in hazardous environments, such as battery manufacturing, traditional training methods fall short due to limitations in realism, scalability, and safety. This research evaluates the effectiveness of VR training on knowledge retention, user engagement, and real-world task performance through empirical user studies conducted in collaboration with Battery Centre Gothenburg (BCG). A pre-study involving user testing with 78 participants, a literature search and stakeholder interviews laid the foundation for a detailed, validated requirement specification. The specification consists of 6 categories and 61 individual requirements. These requirements aimed to guide the design of effective VR training systems from a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) perspective. A Proof of Concept (PoC) VR scenario was developed in Unity, in order to test and validate the results in the requirement specification. The PoC incorporated key HCI features, identified in the requirements specification, such as intuitive interaction, real-time feedback systems and cognitive load management. The requirement specification was evaluated through surveys and a measured real-world safety task, compared to a control group, with a total of 14 participants. Results show that the VR training improved recall of safety procedures, reduced task completion time and improved both user comfort and immersion. However, participants reported lower post-training confidence and risk understanding compared to prior training, indicating a need for deeper reflection and more complex, nuanced training scenarios. The discussion highlights the role of HCI in supporting engagement and usability, and the importance of balancing simplicity with instructional depth. The thesis concludes that VR can be an effective tool for safety training in high-risk industries when designed with user needs, technical feasibility, and learning goals in mind. A validated requirement specification and insights from real-world testing offer a foundation for future development of scalable and effective VR-based training systems.