IEC keynote touts virtues of a rubber world with virtual reality

PITTSBURGH—Virtual reality has the potential to encourage safety, promote hiring, assist learning and facilitate social change—and that's just in the rubber industry, according to Duane Dunston, keynote speaker for the International Elastomer Conference.

The first day of the bicentennial gathering—the division's 200th technical meeting—for the IEC kicked off Oct. 5 with a 50-minute talk from the expert on risk management, cryptography, security education and the use of technology—in this case via virtual and augmented reality—for social change.

Dunston is an associate professor of cybersecurity at Champlain College, located just outside of Burlington, Vt., and has been in information security for more than two decades, working in both the education and government sectors.

He is pursuing his doctor of education degree at Northeastern University and resides in Essex Junction, Vt.

"There is lots of potential for the augmented reality industry, in automation, large equipment and expensive equipment—those industries have augmented reality written all over them," he said.

AR has its roots in aviation, at least in part, according to Dunston. Originators of augmented reality conducted a study with aircraft workers as they attempted to rewire an aircraft.

Simply too archaic was the task of placing pegs into cardboard, then overlaying that cardboard with a template that referenced the proper schematics to ensure accuracy.

Why not wear virtual goggles that project the schematics onto the board, for the sake of safety and efficiency?

"Studies have shown that when you apply VR or AR scenarios to the real world, very few errors occur," Dunston said. "All of this is important for the expenses that can occur in the industry.

"And there is little room for error as far as safety is involved (without AR)—in the operation of machines, the mixing of chemicals—all of this can be dangerous."

And training—both the hours and money spent—should improve, according to Dunston.

"One of the great benefits of AR—learning how to use unique technology, assemble it, push the buttons on it—is that you see how (the equipment) behaves before the machine arrives," he said. "The maintenance person can learn to repair the equipment before it arrives."

Either as an overlay or juxtaposed next to a particular part, augmented reality can detect 3D images, Dunston said, making it a great tool for removing parts and repairing them.

"AR very quickly pays for itself," he told the crowd in the ballroom of the David H. Lawrence Convention Center. "New hires can learn quickly, something that costs money. New hires can push buttons, feel it, before using it."

Safety seems to be where AR shines, said Dunston, as it can stave off potential consequences from a machine that is incorrectly operated, or chemicals that are incorrectly mixed.

"We can become so engaged in what we are doing that we lose track of common space—and forgot what we should be doing," Dunston said.

He said AR and VR training can create "immersive virtual training experiences that someone can bring into their home, into schools and vocational training."

"We can create an interactive training program for those about to be released from incarceration and drug rehabilitation to create an opportunity to learn a trade skill to prevent the cycle of recidivism that a lack of having a job can perpetuate," Dunston said. "We have an aging work force, and we need new talent, so we need innovative and creative methods of reaching a broader audience to help maintain and revolutionize our industry. AR and VR can help us in these endeavors."

Like many others, rubber is an industry that is facing a recruiting and retainment gap. VR can further assist that, Dunston said.

"The toughest thing in the rubber industry is recruiting young talent," he said. "They predict there will be more than 100,000 maintenance and inspection positions available in the next 10 years.

"What do we do about this?"

Primarily, recruiters themselves are needed, Dunston said.

"The rubber industry is everywhere. I thought rubber was tires and garden hoses," he said. "There is so much more to this industry. Talking to Kim (Dempsey-Miller, chair of the ACS Rubber Division) and Lakisha (Miller-Barclay, the division's executive director and CEO) and realizing their passion about this industry—that is what brought me to do this presentation."

"It immediately became very clear to me how AR could help this industry."

Dunston noted that his students at Champlain University create gaming programs for the military using 3D sets and VR objects, helping troops train for combat by learning about specific geographic areas before they arrive.

"The University of Southern California has a really high-tech center where they are really pushing the limits of technology," Dunston said. "Such technology is being used to help sexual assault survivors, combat PTSD and assist those with autism to prepare for job interviews.

"And it's college students who are developing this. It is a very powerful and very effective therapeutic device."

Therapy for others, but necessity for some during the coronavirus pandemic, as VR in the medical field allowed students to study—goggles on—about anatomy and even surgical techniques.

"This offers a whole other dimension in the learning experience," Dunston said. "Can you imagine understanding the work of a person who extracts rubber from a tree?

"VR allows us to understand the process and function of every worker at every step, and leaders can look at these things before making decisions. AR and VR can bring communities together. All of these things can bring attention to this industry, which is badly needed.

"It can be a use for social good—and it can help bring the talent that will truly revolutionize the rubber industry."

To read more on how Dunston sees AR and VR assisting a virtual training world in the rubber industry, check out the Oct. 18 edition of Rubber News.