HOME I/O and FACTORY I/O : 2 Pieces of innovative PO simulation software for automation education

Since 2008, the CReSTIC of the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne (URCA), has collaborated with Real Games, a Portuguese company, within the frame of a scientific and technical partnership towards the development of innovative operative part simulation software based on the use of video game technologies (graphical and audio rendering, "game play", interactivity and attractiveness). These simulators which are a part of a type of serious games, can be connected to physical control utilities (Programmable Logic Controller, Microcontroller...) or software utilities (LabView, Matlab...) which facilitates education in automation. In this paper two new pieces of simulation software are presented, HOME I/O (the virtual house) and FACTORY I/O (the virtual factory). A survey has been conducted by users of these two softwares in 2016, together with a science of education lab (CEREP) as well as 77 bachelor's degree, CUBGE and Engineering students from URCA. The obtained results are presented in this paper, and show the interest these digital tools have for education of Automation.