SISTEMA INTEGRADO PARA RECONHECIMENTO DE DESENHOS EM SMARTWATCHES E VISUALIZAÇÃO TRIDIMENSIONAL DE MOLÉCULAS EM REALIDADE VIRTUAL

Abstract

Three-dimensional molecular structure comprehension is a recurring challenge in Chemistry education, especially because many students experience difficulties in relating two-dimensional representations to more complex spatial models. This limitation affects the construction of fundamental concepts and may restrict the ability to visually interpret and manipulate different chemical forms. In this context, tools that combine gestural interaction and three-dimensional visualization offer relevant alternatives to support the development of spatial reasoning and to make the learning process more meaningful. This work presents the development and evaluation of an integrated system that combines drawing recognition on smartwatches with the three-dimensional visualization of molecules in a virtual reality environment to support Chemistry teaching. The smartwatch records user-drawn gestures representing simple chemical structures and sends the images to a remote cloud server, responsible for identifying the drawing through a Convolutional Neural Network. After identification, the corresponding molecule is displayed in three dimensions in a virtual reality environment on the smartphone, using Google Cardboard for visualization, enabling interactive exploration of the molecular structure through wrist movements. The adopted methodology included a literature review, prototype development, and an experiment conducted with 11 participants, including 4 professors and 7 undergraduate Chemistry teacher-training students. The system evaluation was carried out using the System Usability Scale (SUS), which provides a standardized measure of system acceptability from a functional perspective, and the User Experience Questionnaire – Short Version (UEQ-S), associated with interest, attractiveness, and user perception of the proposed solution. The results indicated high levels of usability and a positive user experience, suggesting that the system is functional and suitable for supporting the exploration of abstract content through gestures and three-dimensional visualization. These findings contribute to discussions on the use of wearable technologies and immersive environments in education, highlighting their potential to enrich teaching practices. The study conclusions point to opportunities for improvement, such as expanding the set of recognized molecules, enhancing image processing algorithms, and conducting tests in real school contexts in order to evaluate pedagogical impact on a larger scale.