BCIT launches 3-D simulators

Students in a number of programs at B.C. Institute of Technology now have access to expensive equipment like jet engines and rail cars 24/7 in the comfort of their own homes.

On Thursday, the Burnaby school launched the CUBE, an initiative which provides students with three-dimensional simulators, allowing them to explore complex components and systems before they touch the real thing.

So far, 3-D simulators have been developed for a jet engine, a knee joint and a rail box car.

They’ll be accessible to students at any hour and from any place using laptop computers and other mobile computerized devices.

Every year, new students come to BCIT with an increasing immersion in the digital and virtual world through the Internet, computer gaming and other high-tech applications.

“They expect we would reflect that world,” said Chris Golding, BCIT’s vice president of learning and technology services. “The benefit [of CUBE] is ultimately to those who hire our graduates.”

The project was funded with a $1-million-US grant from aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin and a contribution of $380,000 in software from NGRAIN (Canada) Corporation.

For Aaron Reinhardt, a student in BCIT’s aircraft maintenance engineering program, the jet engine simulator will be an invaluable tool.

“It’s kind of like a map of the engine,” he said. “You have to do things in a certain order. If not, things can go wrong with the engine.”

As for how manipulating a computer mouse compares to using actual tools on an actual engine, he noted that the simulators won’t come into play until midway through their program. By then, students will have already become well versed in using their tools.

New jet engines cost $1 million each, said James Mallory, an instructor in the aircraft maintenance program. During hands-on instruction, the school generally provides one engine per student to work on.

The 3-D simulators ultimately pay off by allowing students to make their rookie mistakes on their computers, reducing the need to replace or repair expensive components on the real thing, Mallory said.

The knee joint simulator allows students in the prosthetics and orthotics training program to explore the finer details of human anatomy at their own pace. It even shows what happens when an orthotic device is positioned too high or low on a knee and what the joint looks like when it’s suffering various injuries.

Melanie Sia, one of BCIT’s developers of the simulators, said the computer tools are a far cry from the old-fashioned alternatives—textbooks and plastic models.

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