Implementation of a 3D Interactive Mobile App for Practicing Engineering Laboratory Experiment

Performing laboratory experiment for off-campus and distance learning students is always a challenging task. Unlike other theory-based courses, engineering laboratory experiment focuses heavily on hands-on tasks. Although many web-based and other virtual reality (VR)-based laboratories widely exist, non-portability, difficult accessibility and high cost of these VR-based devices bring disadvantages to the convenience of learning. One solution is to use mobile devices, which are more portable, easier to access and cheaper in cost, and yet can still be interactive and engaging for students to practice and experience hands-on activities. In this paper, we discuss the benefits of using mobile devices for online education and the development of an Android-based 3D interactive mobile app for an undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratory. This app is capable of not only providing off-campus and distance-learning students an opportunity to practice the experiment on mobile devices, but also helping on-campus students to get familiarized with the experiment procedure prior to their physical laboratory experiment.