Development of Port Area Obstacles and Animations in a Virtual Reality-Based Ship Simulator to Enhance User Experience

The Indonesian maritime industry has embraced technology from the Industrial Revolution 4.0, including simulators for learning purposes. The Surabaya Shipping Polytechnic, an official school under the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation, has incorporated various simulators, including ship engines and ship bridges, to support cadet education. This research focuses on utilizing virtual reality technology to improve the ship bridge simulator's educational value and reduce manufacturing costs. Virtual reality offers immersive and interactive experiences, making it a valuable engineering, design, and military training tool. Previous studies have demonstrated that virtual reality can enhance learning effectiveness and skills development by providing realistic simulations and scenarios. This study aims to further enhance the ship bridge simulator by incorporating obstacles and animations, such as 3D ship models placed within the port area environment, ships passing animations, and ship collision animations. Alpha testing or black box testing of the developed application achieved a 100% success rate in functionality testing, while beta testing using the Likert scale method involving 22 cadets yielded excellent ratings in assessing 3D ship models, ships passing animation, and ship collision animations. However, virtual reality may induce certain side effects on health, including oculomotor symptoms, disorientation, and nausea. The study found that a small percentage of cadets experienced little symptoms, such as eye strain, focus difficulty, blurred vision, headache, dizziness, vertigo, stomach awareness, and increased saliva. Understanding and mitigating these side effects are essential to ensure a safe and optimal user experience.