I/ITSEC 2023: HTC VIVE and V-Armed showcase immersive full-body training scenario

HTC VIVE and V-Armed have partnered to develop an immersive full-body training scenario that will attempt to match US requirements for secure extended reality (XR) solutions. 

The system, on display this week at I/ITSEC 2023 in Orlando, Florida, can provide a realistic environment in which to train and evaluate military personnel and first responders. It features the VIVE XR Elite high-performance, all-in-one headset and V-Armed 3D virtual reality (VR) scenario.

VIVE XR Elite has been fitted with a full-colour passthrough camera and depth sensor that enables the user to interact with virtual objects.

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The V-Armed scenario, meanwhile, allows for simultaneous training of up to 10 operators, in addition to recording and accessing their performance. The technology has already been in service with several US law enforcement services and agencies.

Daniel O’Brien, GM of Americas for HTC VIVE, stressed that the immersive full-body training scenario would enable operators to quickly understand complex information, which can reduce instruction-related investments and the time required to teach a task.

‘Learning with your hands, your eyes, your ears and not just a lecture style or reading style learning or 2D environment is a much more effective’, he pointed out. ‘The trainees are training in real-time, so when they go into action, they have done these repetitive steps.’

Raymond McPartland, head of operations and training at V-Armed, said that improving cognitive and strategic thinking could result from soldiers facing ‘different problems at different times in a very safe environment’.

‘If we did this in the real world, we could never replicate at this level from a safety perspective, without endangering somebody else or without considering consumables,’ McPartland noted. 

Immersive full-body training scenarios have been among the in-demand technologies on display at I/ITSEC 2023. (Photo: HTC VIVE)

On display at the I/ITSEC, the immersive full-body solution simulates a scenario with enemy forces in which two soldiers are deployed as a sniper and a spotter.

O’Brien stated: ‘What we are really trying to do is just help officers make better decisions in high-stress environment.’

Paul Grajek, chief marketing officer for V-Armed, claimed it was ‘a small taste of what is possible to do in the training space’, as well as ‘a testament to where the technology is going and where it is growing’.

HTC VIVE has also been showcasing augmented reality (AR) enabled work/instruction solutions through Taqtile's Manifest platform. The solutions intend to prepare military personnel to perform complex tasks on weapons, equipment and systems using the colour-passthrough video capabilities of VIVE XR Elite.

The company has also put on display its professional-grade VR headset. Designed for deployment in classified environments, it features high-resolution headphones and 3D spatial integration with a built-in amplifier.

Shephard's I/ITSEC 2023 coverage is sponsored by: