Development of a Virtual Reality Training System for Live-Line Workers

This article presents a training system for live-line workers. The developed training system is based on immersive virtual reality and automatic speech recognition technology. The training is focused on live-line Cut-Out-Switch (COS) replacement work in a distribution system. Most work in power systems must be free of interruption, so it is carried out by live-line techniques. However, these techniques have increased the number of accidents by electric shock. Because most electric accidents are due to live-line work, it is important to train live-line workers. The proposed training system provides repeated and cost-effective training for a small space. It also guarantees safety during training operations. In this article, the background of live-line techniques and the work procedure of COS replacement are presented. The architecture of the developed system, the creation of the virtual work environment, and the collision detection among virtual objects are also described.