VR Training for Collaborative Robots TestBed
The VR Training for Collaborative Robots TestBed offers an immersive VR/XR training platform for collaborative robot programming and operation, developed under the MASTER-XR 2nd Open Call and building on the XR4Human-SERVE 5.0 research platform. It enables students, industry professionals, and operators to learn cobot programming, human-robot collaboration, and assembly tasks in a safe, risk-free virtual environment before interacting with physical robots. The platform integrates ROS 2-based cobot simulation (Franka Emika Panda), XR-guided instruction, gaze-based mental fatigue assessment, and gamified training modules deployed on the VIROO platform. The TestBed supports TRL 4–6, from laboratory validation to demonstration in operational SME environments, advancing human-centric robotics training aligned with Industry 5.0 principles and the EU AI Act.
| Name of Principal Investigator: | Nikola Knezevic |
| Position / institutional role: | Assistant Professor |
| Info Email: | knezevic@etf.rs |
| ORCID persistent identifier (PID): | 0000-0002-0262-8956 |
| Name of Host Organization | University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering (ETF) |
| Department or Lab | Department of Signals and Systems, ETF Robotics lab |
| Name of Building | Palace of Science |
| Physical Address | Kralja Milana 11, 11000 Beograd, Serbia |
| Website Links | https://robot.etf.bg.ac.rs |
| Institutional contact name | Nikola Knezevic |
| Institutional contact email | knezevic@etf.rs |
| Non-academic stakeholders |
| Industrial Partners; Startups; Professional Associations; SMEs; Community |
| Academic stakeholders |
| Undergraduate students; PhD students; MSc students; Researchers |
| Other types of stakeholders |
| Application case: | Short description: |
| Immersive VR Cobot Programming Training | Students and operators learn to program and operate the Franka Emika Panda cobot in a fully immersive VR environment, practicing pick-and-place, assembly, and gripper operations without physical risk. Training includes guided, faded, and assessment modes with progressive difficulty. |
| Gamified Robotics Learning via VIROO Platform | ARCHIVE training modules deployed on the MASTER-XR VIROO platform enable remote, accessible robotics education with gamified elements (progress tracking, achievements, leaderboards) to increase motivation and engagement, targeting students and industry professionals. |
| Multi-User Evaluation & Training Studies | ix Meta Quest 3 headsets support group training sessions, comparative studies (manual vs. XR-cobot-assisted), and usability evaluations using standardized instruments (NASA-TLX, SUS, IMI). Validated with novice and experienced worker cohorts. |
list of hardware components with their brief descriptions:
HTC VIVE Focus Vision XR Headset, Meta Quest 3 Headsets, *Host PC Workstation
list of software components with their brief descriptions:
ROS2, Unity 22.04, Docker, Viroo