An Integrated Immersive Simulator for the Dismounted Soldier

Cruz-Neira, C; Neumann, C; Odom, C; Reiners, D; Kathy, K; Springer, Jan

Authors

C Cruz-Neira

C Neumann

C Odom

D Reiners

K Kathy

Jan Springer

Abstract

Immersive military training simulators have been available for over thirty years; but, most of these training simulators have been targeted at training forces on vehicle operations and missions (e.g., flight simulators). These simulators typically use a combination of physical devices, such as cockpits or cabins, with some large display, such as a dome or a tiled wall, to present the scenario to the trainees. However, the use of similar setups for the training of dismounted Soldiers has not yet been widely deployed. This is primarily due to the fact that in a vehicle simulator the trainee is stationary with respect to the physical mock-up, while for a dismounted Soldier the simulator must provide the means for the Soldier to physically move in the virtual space. Furthermore, the simulator must also provide the ability for the Soldiers to experience the physical exertion of the exercise. An additional level of complexity when developing immersive simulators for dismounted Soldiers is the creation of complex scenarios. The level of detail and fidelity is significantly more demanding than those for vehicle simulations as well as the wide variety of scenarios within the same area that the Soldiers need to be trained on.We present an immersive system for the dismounted Soldier with two major components. First, a combination of a physical interface, an omni-directional treadmill, with a newly designed surround-screen stereoscopic display to enable Soldiers to walk, run, crawl, and shoot in a virtual space. Second, a software framework for the rapid creation, execution, and monitoring of training scenarios. The integration of these two components provides a unique environment to perform training studies required for a variety of scenarios and physical exertion of the trainees.