  To reduce the need for business-related air travel and its associated energy
consumption and carbon footprint, the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E is
supporting a research project called SCOTTIE - Systematic Communication
Objectives and Telecommunications Technology Investigations and Evaluations.
SCOTTIE tests virtual and augmented reality platforms in a functional
comparison with face-to-face (FtF) interactions to derive travel replacement
thresholds for common industrial training scenarios. The primary goal of Study
1 is to match the communication effectiveness and learning outcomes obtained
from a FtF control using virtual reality (VR) training scenarios in which a
local expert with physical equipment trains a remote apprentice without
physical equipment immediately present. This application scenario is
commonplace in industrial settings where access to expensive equipment and
materials is limited and a number of apprentices must travel to a central
location in order to undergo training. Supplying an empirically validated
virtual training alternative constitutes a readily adoptable use-case for
businesses looking to reduce time and monetary expenditures associated with
travel. The technology used for three different virtual presence technologies
was strategically selected for feasibility, relatively low cost, business
relevance, and potential for impact through transition. The authors suggest
that the results of this study might generalize to the challenge of virtual
conferences.
