Case studies
Client Profile
The French Ministry of Education is continuing its program to support the production of digital resources for schools (ressources numériques pour l’école, or RNE). The Édu-Up portal is open to projects for the creation of innovative RNEs, from preschool through post-secondary education, across all disciplines, and which comply with the National Education reference frameworks.
It is in this context that MIMBUS Stone was created in collaboration between MIMBUS and the Lycée Camille Claudel with the support of the French Ministry of Education.
Client Context
In a world where manual trades face a number of misconceptions, cultivating young stonemasons demands a forward-thinking strategy to ignite curiosity and equip them for their professional journey.
The Camille Claudel vocational school in Remiremont, in collaboration with MIMBUS, has set out to revolutionize the training of stonemasons by integrating virtual reality (VR) into their educational program.
Clients Needs
The project manager identified a crucial need to modernize the teaching approach for stonemasons. He wanted to demystify ‘manual’ work and show young people that the stone-cutting professions were both exciting and suited to the digital age.
The trainers, for their part, expressed the need for new, attractive teaching tools to train students in professional techniques and safety, and to raise the profile of the stone-cutting professions.
The main challenge was to come up with a solution that could simulate stone-cutting so authentically that the students would feel they were actually working the rock. To meet this challenge, we had to play with sounds, images and haptic feedback to trick the brain, offering a unique immersive experience.
Our Impact
Discovering VR: The project began with a discovery of virtual reality, a technology that is well-established in other fields but little explored in the stone industry until now.
The choice of MIMBUS came at an opportune moment during the initial lockdown of the Covid pandemic, with the need to offer remote support solutions.
Development of the solution: A crucial point was to convince the stone industry and teachers of the value of a digital tool for acquiring professional skills. With the close collaboration of MIMBUS, an opportunity file was drawn up, a call for tenders was won, and the development of the MIMBUS Stone application began.
Fruitful discussions, working meetings and an immersion in the world of stonemasons resulted in an initial version released in June 2022.
Integration of the solution: The solution has been integrated into training, with particular emphasis on promoting the stone-cutting profession at events, trade fairs and open houses. The trainers have been introduced to the use of the tool and have identified its advantages in terms of communication and promotion of the sector.
Use in lessons: The trainers considered various ways of integrating the tool into lessons, in particular for fun sessions, challenges between students, and to offer individual support to those in difficulty. They also envisaged future developments, such as a virtual experience across different eras or regions.
Benefits & Results
Positive feedback from learners: The learners’ reactions exceeded expectations; they were able to experience a realistic immersion in the world of stonemasonry. The trainers emphasized the quality of the rendering, the realism of the working conditions, and the monitoring of the learners.
Training and safety: Trainers recognized the potential of the tool for training, particularly for absorbing professional techniques and safety reflexes. Opportunities for individual self-training are envisaged, while stressing the need for an instructor’s presence to guarantee safety.
Impact on the workforce: The simulator has been used to promote the stone-cutting professions to over 3,000 secondary school pupils, and it is hoped that this visibility will help to increase enrollment in stone-cutting courses.