Simulating Structural Motions of Floating Cities in an Immersive Virtual Reality Environment
Publication: Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
ABSTRACT
Modular floating structures (MFS) offer an attractive solution for the expansion of coastal cities in adaptation to flooding and sea level rise driven by climate change. Yet, large-scale floating structures for human habitation are unprecedented with no guidelines to inform their practical design. For such projects to succeed, it is essential to investigate how prospective residents will experience life on a floating city from the perspective of comfort and habitability. In response, this paper leverages immersive virtual reality (VR) to establish a framework replicating the motions of a floating structure within any given sea state. The test bed successfully reproduced the motions of an MFS excited by waves corresponding to 1, 50, and 100-year storm events with 96.1%–98.2% accuracy. This validated the feasibility of exploring MFS user experience, decision making, and communication in a completely virtual environment. Ultimately, we establish VR as an invaluable tool for the exploration of immersive visual stimuli to response perception in the context of a floating city.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Computing in Civil Engineering 2023
Pages: 96 - 103
History
Published online: Jan 25, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bodies of water (by type)
- Climate change
- Climates
- Continuum mechanics
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Floods
- Infrastructure
- Models (by type)
- Modular structures
- Motion (dynamics)
- Sea level
- Seas and oceans
- Simulation models
- Solid mechanics
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
- Water and water resources
- Water management
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