XR2ACH x DuET: InnoVET-Plus Inter-Project Exchange

On May 16, 2025, representatives of the two InnoVET+ projects XR2ACH and DuET met at the Bildungswerkstatt Chemnitz — initiated by the inspiring exchange during the joint BIBB visit on February 11, 2025, in Bonn. The focus was on refrigeration and heat pump technology, a shared application area for both projects with high potential for vocational training.

The DuET project is developing an innovative learning object that clearly and cross-occupationally conveys the functionality of a heat pump, designed for trainees in various technical professions. The model heat pump from the Institute for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Environmental Engineering at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences provided important inspiration: it not only served as a technical exhibit but also stimulated intensive discussions about the development and use of their own didactic models.

Thanks to the expertise available in the XR2ACH project in the research and development of immersive learning formats, valuable experience was shared — particularly with regard to real-world requirements, technological feasibility, and didactic integration into training situations. Possible XR-based visualizations and simulations were also discussed, which could sustainably advance the understanding of complex processes such as those inside a heat pump.

In addition, XR2ACH benefits greatly from the in-depth user surveys conducted as part of DuET in cooperation with the Chair of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management at Chemnitz University of Technology. These surveys provide practical insights into the needs, learning behavior, and requirements of the target groups — a valuable basis for the user-centered further development of the XR training scenarios in the XR2ACH project.

A successful inter-project exchange with important impulses for both projects — and a further step towards future-proof, technology-supported vocational training.