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DSEI 2023: 4GD to upgrade SimStriker smart target with generative AI and computational vision

15th September 2023 - 13:30 GMT | by Norbert Neumann in London

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This integration of ChatGPT will help eliminate repetitive phrases and enable the company to create diverse personas for its smart targets. (Photo: 4GD)

Both the SimStriker enhancements involving computer vision and generative AI are currently in development, with some aspects already de-risked.

Immersive close combat training specialist 4GD is working to improve its humanoid, non-ballistic smart target called SimStriker with generative AI and computational vision.

Talking to Shephard at DSEI 2023 in London, James Crowley, business development director at 4GD, said the computer vision will allow the targets to see and identify objects and trainees further away and engage with them appropriately.

This means that a moving curtain, for instance, would not trigger a reaction from SimStriker, or it would react to a dog differently from a human soldier, Crowley said.

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In terms of generative AI, 4GD has been working to implement the ChatGPT language model into its smart targets.

Crowley said this will help avoid stock phrases and help the company to develop different personas for the targets, based on customer requirements.

He said that both additions to SimStriker are currently in development, and 4GD has already de-risked some elements of the upgrades. Crowley explained that as technologies become available, his company can start pulling them together to improve training.

The language model could be integrated as soon as the next six to eight months, with security being the critical part, as ChatGPT developed by a private company, Crowley said. The solution to this could be securing that database somehow, or 4GD could develop its own generative AI model.

Crowley said it could lean on the Alliance partnership to do this in the future, but nothing concrete has been discussed yet.

The computational upgrade is set to come shortly after the generative AI integration. 

4GD has not yet fully decided on the marketing of these products, but Crowley said it is likely that the enhancements will be available as 'bolt-on' systems. SimStriker has been designed with upgradability in mind from the beginning, meaning that existing customers could choose to have the upgrades once they are finalised. 

Shephard's DSEI 2023 coverage is sponsored by:

Norbert Neumann

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Norbert Neumann


Norbert is the Aviation, Military Training & Simulation reporter at Shephard Media. Before joining Shephard in …

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