WAR FIGHTING IN DIGITAL AGE -VIRTUAL REALITY

The history of Virtual reality has often been influenced by the defense industry. One of the first VR
projects was developed in the 1960s for a US military combat system. Virtual reality has always played a
significant role in the military field and was adopted by all services: army, navy, and air force. It is mostly
used for army training purposes, but there are other use cases where VR is a powerful tool.

Virtual reality is a computer-generated environment that enables the viewer to immerse themselves in
their 3D data. Military and defense are one of the industries where virtual and augmented reality
technologies are most widely used. VR is even one of the key technologies listed by the US Department
of Defense in the 21st century.

Virtual reality training is a common use case for VR technology. It helps for training exercises that are
too rare, too expensive, or too dangerous to be done in real life. Training simulation in the military field
fosters the combat skills of small-scale units or single soldiers by simulating actual vehicles, soldiers, and
combat environment.

Virtual boot camp and combat training

Some military bases in the US are using immersive rooms to train their soldiers. Virtual Squad Training
System (VSTS) located at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii uses HMD with motion trackers, full-body tracking
system and wireless weapon controllers that matches the size, weight, and shape of real military
weapons. Such virtual reality systems teach participants how to work interdependently and the impact
they can have on their colleagues on a battlefield.

Virtual training for medical personnel

Military medics regularly encounter extreme situations that are difficult or impossible to duplicate in
traditional simulations. With VR, trainees get the chance to experience a real-like environment and
scenario and work through the most effective response. Covered skills can include battlefield triage,
specific trauma treatment, helicopter rescue and tactical rescue procedures.

Maintenance and assembly technicians training

In this sector there are very few experienced support personnel, and their knowledge must be
transferred somehow. The use of virtual and mixed-reality technologies is a solution for this challenge.
As an example, in the marine corps, each boat can have specific engineering constraints, leading to a
different maintenance scenario from a boat to another. To be immediately operational, technicians can
view the CAD model in VR and get an army specialized training program “on the boat” before their
operation.

Advanced flight simulation

Military flight simulators are critical for training pilots. High-fidelity simulations help to safely expose and
prepare pilots-in-training for challenging real-world scenarios. For instance, you can have a flight
simulator overlaid with a virtual world rendering an actual battlefield for a complete pilot training (this
type of virtual reality simulation can be done using TechViz Fusion). All the user’s senses can be
stimulated to fully recreate the pilot training.

Advanced ground vehicle simulation

Ground vehicle simulators provide a safe environment for drivers, by immersing them in a replica of a
military vehicle. Virtual training can help you simulate different events like vehicle collisions or hostile
armed forces. But it can also help you check the ergonomics of the cockpit you’re simulating, by seeing
in a real situation (almost), if the instrument panel is comfortable to use, and if all the buttons and
commands can be reached out.

Equipment familiarization training

A lot of heavy equipment and military vehicles are intensive and complex electromechanical systems.
Knowing how they function and how to operate them safely is an essential training for participants who
need to familiarize themselves on a particular piece of equipment, to help refresh and develop their
existing skill set.

Maintaining and optimizing military equipment with virtual reality

A lot of defense equipment are intensive complex electromechanical systems, such as aircrafts,
spacecrafts, ships… And, of course, not all equipment is used in the conditions the engineers had in mind
when they conceived it. Virtual reality is the perfect tool to conceive and optimize military equipment.
For example, some vehicles can end up being used in other climatic or environmental conditions. In any
cases, if the end users notice what parts are showing excessive wear, the information can travel back to
the design teams, so that the next designed model (or just the fixing parts) will be better.

Manufacturing new weapons in VR

Virtual reality has changed the way we design products, whether from a conception or a testing
standpoint. It is a powerful tool for industries embracing Industry 4.0, like the defense industry. During
weapon development, immersive virtual reality helps engineers:

Test the design in virtual worlds and/or with a motion-tracking

Operate weapons “for real” with haptics

Add tactical and technical performance data

VR speeds up product development for the new weapons or military installations and betters their
overall effectiveness and quality. This is particularly effective when developing large-scale products such
as an aircraft or a ship. Virtual reality technology helps you visualize your designs at 1:1 scale and make
changes in real time.
Besides, with cloud technologies and 5G becoming more and more common, military research labs will
also need to collaborate seamlessly with one another, even when they are distant from thousands of
kilometers. This particular use case happened with TechViz VR remote collaboration software, which
helped two labs designing nuclear submarines with VR remote collaboration. One research facility was
located in France and the other in New Zealand. By using our software they were able to do virtual
reality design reviews, interact simultaneously with large-scale CAD models in VR with military-grade
data-security.

4. Remote collaboration on sensitive defense projects or military missions

Collaboration in VR between distant sites is important today, especially when anticipating the future of
work. However, videoconference tools offer a limited immersion when it comes to complex tasks. With
a virtual reality system, several users can work on the same 3D models, at real scale and in real time.
Remote work in VR is crucial when countries are sharing military assets and/or research to create a
virtual prototype.

On a military mission, this feature can serve for another use case. It can allow an operator to get data
from a location, without being physically present. It opens new possibilities for information gathering
operations in hostile territory, as the operator will be able to move the sensors, while being in a realistic
rendering. It makes the operation safer and increases the stealth of the agent, as the reconnaissance
vehicle does not need to transport real passengers.

What key benefits VR offers to the military and defense industry

Natural actions and movements with most of AR/VR hardware

When you are immersed in your 3D data, VR hardware allows for natural actions in a virtual
environment. Ease of movements happens regardless if you use a standalone head mounted display
(HMD), or a projection-based VR hardware. The only difference will be the level of immersion: all-in-one
or tethered virtual reality headsets will provide your recruits with a fully immersive experience,
compared to a PowerWall or a CAVE system. Being able to train in real-like conditions greatly reduces
the potential for training gaps.

Train anytime anywhere for any situation with all-in-one VR headsets

The use of an all-in-one VR headset such as the meta quest 2, the HTC VIVE Focus or the Microsoft
Hololens 2 enables trainees to roam freely in a fully configurable area. It revolutionizes the way you
prepare your men by transforming any location into a dynamic training ground.

Real-like training without the risks

Virtual reality allows soldiers to train for real situation without risks, with feel-real weapons and
vehicles. In a simulation, any equipment can be created in the virtual platform. You can even add
tracking devices with haptic feedbacks to give the trainees a more natural training experience. High-risk
scenarios can be simulated without danger, allowing soldiers to learn how to act in specific scenarios
that could be too dangerous or too expensive in real life, such as parachute training.

Scalable and adaptable VR simulations

Depending on your needs, you can create a fully-adaptable virtual reality simulation depending on how
the trainees are reacting. The same VR scenario can have different outcomes, helping participants to
adapt to any situation. Trainees can focus on the learning outcomes, as they will need less time to adapt
to the real situation in the real world.

Detailed 3D reviews in different viewpoints

Depending on your hardware and 3D model, you will be able to record your VR sessions from different
viewpoints. This is important for example if you want to collect information on how to improve the
model of a three-dimensional vehicle with real users, or get personalized inputs for your trainees.

Reduced costs for training and engineering

Virtual reality reduces the need for physical prototypes. It’s a key benefit for design and engineering, as
the team won’t have to send as many physical models back and forth, and instead work simultaneously
in the same VR environment. For training purposes, virtual and augmented reality sessions can open the
possibilities for group and individual training, even for scenarios that could be too expensive or too
dangerous to do in a real training.