Saneamento 5.0 : proposta de serious game para a educação inclusiva em esgotamento sanitário no contexto da Sociedade 5.0

Abstract

Sanitation services are indispensable mechanisms that promote quality of life. They depend, necessarily, on two categories of inseparable and equally important elements: structural, related to the provision of infrastructure, and structuring, directed to the management for continuity and correct use of solutions. The adoption of ineffective structuring actions – or even their absence – translates into a fragility that can result in losses, inefficiency or unsustainability. The education of users, aiming at the appropriate use of sanitary structures, is essential. The inadequate use of sewage systems – which occurs due to the disposal of residues in sanitary devices and sewer networks, resulting in problems for collection and treatment of sewage – is a reflection of the lack of sufficient orientation of the population. New learning methodologies, engaging and inclusive, are needed to promote awareness. The answer may lie in the socio-economic context, a result of Industry 4.0, which has provided extensive cultural changes towards digital transformation: Society 5.0, which promotes the use of technologies to support social prosperity. In this scenario, formulations such as “gamification” and “serious games”, supported by mobile learning, have aroused more interest, considering their potential as powerful tools for the transmission of knowledge. This work is inserted in two research themes of INCT ETEs Sustentáveis and seeks: i) to characterize the composition of sewage and the consequences of the misuse of sanitary devices and sewer networks, considering the perspectives of managers of sewage treatment plants and system users; and ii) model, develop and validate an educational platform based on a serious game. To analyze the perspectives of plant workers, semi-structured interviews and analysis of quantitative data relative to operations were carried out. Focus groups – addressing people aged 18 to 34, the central audience of the application – were conducted to analyze the users’ perspectives. The software, “The Flush!”, was developed through the Unity platform for computers and smartphones and is based on a model of collecting residues discarded in the network, also containing a quiz minigame. It addresses, in addition to the central problem, technical, managerial and sustainability aspects. The reception of the project, shown during the focus groups, was positive. It is expected to contribute to the construction of a “Sanitation 5.0”.