Multi-sensor Feedback Suit Enhances Training
Inventing Future Technology (IFTech) has incorporated VBS4 from Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) into its ARAIG [as real as it gets] battle suit – a multisensory force feedback suit. In combination, the two provide real-world stressors without compromising other key training requirements. In thew words of BISim’s VP Business Development, Scott Hooper, “The integration of VBS4 into the ARAIG Battle Suit brings a new level of realism and effectiveness to military training. The system provides real-world training outcomes without real-world risks”.
ARAIG’s development was driven by the need to provide soldiers with a multisensory feedback technology that allows them to feel and hear as if they are truly on the battlefield. Previously implemented virtual training systems offered inadequate sensory immersion. “Lack of realistic sensory training hinders our soldiers’ ability to develop resilience, sophisticated situational awareness, and critical decision-making, which ultimately puts our forces in danger during real-life operations. In essence, limited sensory experiences prohibit advanced training,” explained Michael Stanfield, IFTech’s CEO. The ARAIG suit significantly enhances sensory training, by accurately simulating the wide range of stressors necessary for maximal immersion during training.
VBS4 provided IFTech with a foundation to create ‘checkpoint scenarios’ for Canadian soldiers, allowing them to train effectively while stationed at a military checkpoint, halting and searching vehicles for weapons or contraband. Soldiers needed to adhere to standard operating procedures and achieve specific performance standards. Using VBS4, IFTech created over four million possible variations in these checkpoint scenarios, providing an extensive and comprehensive list of training outcomes. The company integrated the suit with VBS4 quickly and easily, deploying it within minutes to any VBS training scenario. Using the VBS4 simulator allows trainees to create and execute complex scenarios right out-of-the-box, without the need for technical expertise.
“The ARAIG battle suit takes training to the next level. Providing multisensory feedback to training, ARAIG provides the user with real-life feedback on what they are doing. It connects the eyes to the body. This technology makes training as realistic as doing the real thing. This system easily adapts to existing platforms and will raise the level of capability of any organization using it,” stated Major-General David Fraser, formerly of the Canadian Armed Forces.
