PI:  Eliot Winer

Summary: To train new painters at Deere & Co., researchers are building a virtual reality training booth. To create a realistic training environment, the booth is designed with real equipment and an approximation of the lighting and optical effects, such as glares and overspray, to teach new painters how to use the equipment and develop basic principles of application technique. The Paint Trainer application will help Deere to reduce the time needed for on-the-job training without consuming time in the paint booth and producing unusable parts. Having a full digital model and record of the painting process gives trainees much more accurate feedback about how they’re doing, reducing training time and increasing the quality of the work.