Posted on Aug 16, 2014
Virtual Reality and the Future of Squad Level Training
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Since the end of World War II the military has been working on computer assisted simulator technologies. Initially the focus was on pilots and simulating aircraft and the space race helped ensure that the technological limits of simulators were pushed as far as possible at the time. Gradually simulations became more realistic and the applications more diverse. I have personally operated tank, FMTV, and firing range simulators and there exist many more fielded simulated training aids.
Today, the majority of soldiers have at one time or another trained their marksmanship skills with the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (EST 2000) zeroing and qualification simulator. Yet in spite of the near ubiquitous nature of simulation technologies in today's military there still exists a large gap between simulated training and actual boots on the ground engagements. It is not difficult to argue potential cost benefits or training applications, but so long as the differences between virtual training and reality are so great the benefits will remain unrealized.
In the last three years there has been a major shift in the development of virtual reality technologies. Research advances in brain-computer interfaces, voice recognition, motion tracking, mobile displays, and processor power has transformed the theoretical into applied applications that will be available in the very near future.
In 2012, Palmer Luckey, pieced together a prototype head mounted display he would later name the Oculus Rift. While not the first head mounted display by a long shot, it was the most practical and affordable to date. This year his company released the second generation developer model of this device with greatly improved specifications and quality. Already the realism that can be experienced is incredible, often described as being transported to another world with the click of a mouse.
Other companies have developed a wide range of applicable products such as Microsoft and the Kinect, OCZ and their Neural Impulse Actuator Brain-Computer Interface, and other less developed products such as haptic feedback gloves, and vests that utilize numerous small sub-woofers to allow the feeling of bullet impacts. One company, Virtuix, has a specially designed concave platform that along with a harness and special boots allows the user to run in place and control a virtual character.
The military hasn't given up on advancing virtual reality technology either. Recently the Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3) was released for download to the https://milgaming.army.mil website. The third edition has greatly improved graphics, physics simulations, and individual soldier performance modeling that takes into account real world statistics like marksmanship scores, physical fitness scores, height, and body weight. It also now includes a character modelling tool to allow a realistic import of actual soldiers' likenesses.
The holy grail, full sense immersion within a highly accurate environment, has yet to be realized. But it certainly seems much closer today then it has ever been. In fact all the pieces currently exist and only require optimization and integration.
----------------------------------------------
Imagine with me strapping into a full body pneumatic suit with extensive haptic feedback modules, helmet embedded surround sound, a heads up immersive virtual reality display, and a skull cap with neural interface actuators. Next, you step forward and a technician attaches a power and data tether to your suit. The technician then extends a robotic arm attached to the ceiling and attaches it to the back of your suit allowing you to be lifted a short distance from the ground and have full motion in three-axis space without actually moving anywhere.
The display in your headset lights up, booting into the loading screen of a realistic simulation of the outskirts of a small Afghan village. The pixels in the display are so small you can't identify a single one with the naked eye. The display covers all of your field of vision giving the sensation of actually having been transported to the other side of the world. You look down and you can see your fingers, hands, feet. Except of course they are not yours, just a computer rendering. An amazingly complete computer rendering, you realize, as you flex your fingers and inside the simulation your virtual fingers respond in kind. Nodding your head, crouching, leaning forward, and any other movement you could make are all fed into the simulation and rendered.
At your side your M4 is leaning against a fence. As this is a tactical simulator you reach for the rifle and when you grasp it you realize you can actually feel it. Haptic sensors at the tips of your fingers and on your palm allow you to feel the texture and contours of the weapon and special electroactive polymers in the gloves are activated to stiffen select areas to feel like you are grasping a solid object.
Stepping forward you feel the gravel and dirt crunch beneath your feet. A hundred yards in front of you you notice a villager and a herd of goats simulated so perfectly and in such detail that it is impossible to tell whether they are computer models or actual stereoscopic high definition video footage. Of course the fact that they are frozen still means this is definitely a simulation. In your mind you think to review the training objectives and the neural actuators in your skull cap capture your thoughts and impose an overlay on your vision that lists the tasks, conditions, and standards for today's training.
Around you you notice your battle buddies are popping into existence as they are connected into the simulation by a high speed network. The top of your overlay indicates that the OPFOR has almost completed loading into the simulation as well. Today you will be training against an OPFOR team in Hawaii, over 3,000 miles from your location in Fort Bliss, TX.
You form up your squad and prepare to begin your training. A thought directed at the AI Director starts the simulation. Immediately you feel the wind in your face and the villager with the goats starts moving. You direct your squad to load into the MRAP. Because you are suspended in a 3-axis pneumatic harness, when you step up into the vehicle, you can actually feel resistance as you would in real life pushing off against a step.
The vehicle roars to life and you can feel the rumbling of the engine. A mile up the road your vehicle hits an IED and is completely disabled. Your team is under ambush and dismounts from the burning vehicle to return fire. Unfortunately the mission ends in a failure. But now the after action review begins. The simulation plays back speeding up and slowing down to allow efficient review of the actions taken by every person. Training coordinators highlight mistakes and demonstrate through virtual models how the mistakes could have been avoided. Ultimately the training continues moving on to new scenarios as old ones are mastered and allowing extensive tracking of performance statistics that enable an entire new kind of combat readiness testing and mission certification.
-----------------------------------------
None of the above is an unlikely science fiction. I have no doubt that in the near future all of this will be very possible. Mission preparation will become incredibly detailed allowing highly realistic simulations created from satellite and drone imagery. Extensive simulations will allow the statistical analysis of mission success probabilities that will be far more accurate than anything we can imagine today.
Do you think these changes will be better or worse for military training and tactics? What do you think the implications would be for replacing a percentage of field exercises? What if we could train with the most experienced warriors and strategists in the military no matter where we are assigned or located? Let me know your thoughts below.
Check out the following links for some amazing technologies that may soon change our lives:
http://www.virtuix.com/
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/111903/Jolts_turn_liquid_to_solid_111903.html
http://www.oculusvr.com/
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/OCZ-NIA-BrainComputer-Interface/#!bEQelZ
http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/13/5805628/at-e3-virtual-reality-goes-beyond-goggles
https://bisimulations.com/virtual-battlespace-3
Today, the majority of soldiers have at one time or another trained their marksmanship skills with the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (EST 2000) zeroing and qualification simulator. Yet in spite of the near ubiquitous nature of simulation technologies in today's military there still exists a large gap between simulated training and actual boots on the ground engagements. It is not difficult to argue potential cost benefits or training applications, but so long as the differences between virtual training and reality are so great the benefits will remain unrealized.
In the last three years there has been a major shift in the development of virtual reality technologies. Research advances in brain-computer interfaces, voice recognition, motion tracking, mobile displays, and processor power has transformed the theoretical into applied applications that will be available in the very near future.
In 2012, Palmer Luckey, pieced together a prototype head mounted display he would later name the Oculus Rift. While not the first head mounted display by a long shot, it was the most practical and affordable to date. This year his company released the second generation developer model of this device with greatly improved specifications and quality. Already the realism that can be experienced is incredible, often described as being transported to another world with the click of a mouse.
Other companies have developed a wide range of applicable products such as Microsoft and the Kinect, OCZ and their Neural Impulse Actuator Brain-Computer Interface, and other less developed products such as haptic feedback gloves, and vests that utilize numerous small sub-woofers to allow the feeling of bullet impacts. One company, Virtuix, has a specially designed concave platform that along with a harness and special boots allows the user to run in place and control a virtual character.
The military hasn't given up on advancing virtual reality technology either. Recently the Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3) was released for download to the https://milgaming.army.mil website. The third edition has greatly improved graphics, physics simulations, and individual soldier performance modeling that takes into account real world statistics like marksmanship scores, physical fitness scores, height, and body weight. It also now includes a character modelling tool to allow a realistic import of actual soldiers' likenesses.
The holy grail, full sense immersion within a highly accurate environment, has yet to be realized. But it certainly seems much closer today then it has ever been. In fact all the pieces currently exist and only require optimization and integration.
----------------------------------------------
Imagine with me strapping into a full body pneumatic suit with extensive haptic feedback modules, helmet embedded surround sound, a heads up immersive virtual reality display, and a skull cap with neural interface actuators. Next, you step forward and a technician attaches a power and data tether to your suit. The technician then extends a robotic arm attached to the ceiling and attaches it to the back of your suit allowing you to be lifted a short distance from the ground and have full motion in three-axis space without actually moving anywhere.
The display in your headset lights up, booting into the loading screen of a realistic simulation of the outskirts of a small Afghan village. The pixels in the display are so small you can't identify a single one with the naked eye. The display covers all of your field of vision giving the sensation of actually having been transported to the other side of the world. You look down and you can see your fingers, hands, feet. Except of course they are not yours, just a computer rendering. An amazingly complete computer rendering, you realize, as you flex your fingers and inside the simulation your virtual fingers respond in kind. Nodding your head, crouching, leaning forward, and any other movement you could make are all fed into the simulation and rendered.
At your side your M4 is leaning against a fence. As this is a tactical simulator you reach for the rifle and when you grasp it you realize you can actually feel it. Haptic sensors at the tips of your fingers and on your palm allow you to feel the texture and contours of the weapon and special electroactive polymers in the gloves are activated to stiffen select areas to feel like you are grasping a solid object.
Stepping forward you feel the gravel and dirt crunch beneath your feet. A hundred yards in front of you you notice a villager and a herd of goats simulated so perfectly and in such detail that it is impossible to tell whether they are computer models or actual stereoscopic high definition video footage. Of course the fact that they are frozen still means this is definitely a simulation. In your mind you think to review the training objectives and the neural actuators in your skull cap capture your thoughts and impose an overlay on your vision that lists the tasks, conditions, and standards for today's training.
Around you you notice your battle buddies are popping into existence as they are connected into the simulation by a high speed network. The top of your overlay indicates that the OPFOR has almost completed loading into the simulation as well. Today you will be training against an OPFOR team in Hawaii, over 3,000 miles from your location in Fort Bliss, TX.
You form up your squad and prepare to begin your training. A thought directed at the AI Director starts the simulation. Immediately you feel the wind in your face and the villager with the goats starts moving. You direct your squad to load into the MRAP. Because you are suspended in a 3-axis pneumatic harness, when you step up into the vehicle, you can actually feel resistance as you would in real life pushing off against a step.
The vehicle roars to life and you can feel the rumbling of the engine. A mile up the road your vehicle hits an IED and is completely disabled. Your team is under ambush and dismounts from the burning vehicle to return fire. Unfortunately the mission ends in a failure. But now the after action review begins. The simulation plays back speeding up and slowing down to allow efficient review of the actions taken by every person. Training coordinators highlight mistakes and demonstrate through virtual models how the mistakes could have been avoided. Ultimately the training continues moving on to new scenarios as old ones are mastered and allowing extensive tracking of performance statistics that enable an entire new kind of combat readiness testing and mission certification.
-----------------------------------------
None of the above is an unlikely science fiction. I have no doubt that in the near future all of this will be very possible. Mission preparation will become incredibly detailed allowing highly realistic simulations created from satellite and drone imagery. Extensive simulations will allow the statistical analysis of mission success probabilities that will be far more accurate than anything we can imagine today.
Do you think these changes will be better or worse for military training and tactics? What do you think the implications would be for replacing a percentage of field exercises? What if we could train with the most experienced warriors and strategists in the military no matter where we are assigned or located? Let me know your thoughts below.
Check out the following links for some amazing technologies that may soon change our lives:
http://www.virtuix.com/
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/111903/Jolts_turn_liquid_to_solid_111903.html
http://www.oculusvr.com/
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/OCZ-NIA-BrainComputer-Interface/#!bEQelZ
http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/13/5805628/at-e3-virtual-reality-goes-beyond-goggles
https://bisimulations.com/virtual-battlespace-3
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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When the usual experience from video games is no longer enough, it's time to switch to virtual reality. The effect of being completely immersed in a fictional world can hardly be compared with anything. I've found a couple of good games in the articles https://servreality.com/news/the-creators-of-the-boneworks-working-on-a-sequel-to-the-vr-game/. I really want to try. It's better than regular apps
The creators of the Boneworks working on a sequel to the VR game VR/AR news - ServReality
The creators of the Boneworks working on a sequel to the VR game - news ServReality Latest news about The creators of the Boneworks working on a sequel to the VR game
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Virtual reality may be all fine and good, and may be a possible training aid. But, nothing can replace good old fashioned field training. Train live with your soldiers is the best training available. Call it a dress rehearsal, but it will give the NCO's a feel for how his/her soldiers will perform in the event of the real deal, more so than VR
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