Abstract
In this paper, we describe the construction of a VR system for the transmission of lathe operation skills, and brain activity analysis of the effect on the trainee of using the VR system as compared with training on an actual general-purpose lathe, based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements of brain activity during lathe operation with the VR system and with an actual lathe. Brain activation responses at various NIRS measurement positions during the performance of three basic movements showed that the positions of change in oxyHb were clearly influenced by direction of movement and body posture at the time of the movements, and that the degree of change was largely governed by the level of force which was applied. The results, taken together, show that brain activation response during the performance of lathe operation in the VR environment is very close to that which occurs during operation in the actual environment, and thus indicate that training in such a VR environment will be effective and useful.
