Revolutionizing Nuclear Control Rooms: Exploring AR/VR Applications through Crowd-Sourced Innovation
The Client
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
- Industry: Government, Regulatory
- Organization Size: 2,868
- Use Case:
- Crowdsourced Research
The Challenge:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sought to explore the potential of immersive display and interaction technologies, specifically Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), in nuclear control rooms. The challenge was to gather insights that would inform guidance on the use of these technologies and support the development of targeted human factors research. The NRC needed to understand the available technologies, their current and future uses, and any associated usability, safety, or integration-related challenges. The ultimate goal was to determine whether investing in internal research in this area would yield a worthwhile return on investment.
The Solution (and our approach to it):
Floor23 approached this challenge by first identifying the key pieces of information that would influence the NRC’s downstream decision-making. We then designed a report that could provide the necessary content. Our mission was to provide a technology landscape report using a small crowd of freelancers through an invite-only challenge composed of multiple research tasks. This approach allowed us to curate a crowd best aligned and resourced to provide the necessary insight. The complete report aggregation and also scouted relevant hardware and software developers and startups that could be of service in their next step efforts. This approach demonstrated our expertise in leveraging crowd-sourced innovation and technology scouting to address complex challenges.
Results:
The challenge has successfully concluded. Over the course of the 10-week timeline, we assembled and collaborated with a team of nine freelancers, refining research tasks and ensuring the content quality and depth met the NRC’s needs. The result was a comprehensive technology landscape report that provides valuable insights into the potential use of AR/VR technologies in nuclear control rooms. This report, completed on schedule, will guide the NRC’s decision-making process and potentially revolutionize the way nuclear control rooms operate. This successful completion of the challenge underscores our commitment to providing sustained support, resources, and innovative solutions for complex challenges.
