Virtual Reality, Mixed, Augmented, and Extended Reality technologies are moving at an extremely rapid pace and with the key barriers of fidelity solved, they offer potential training solutions at extremely attractive costs offering a much-improved return on investment than traditional aerospace engineering training devices.
The ongoing pandemic has increased pressure on our community to achieve more at less cost while improving the overall quality of training for aerospace engineering.
The recent approval of the first VR training device for rotary pilot training by EASA is significant and indicates what may be done with these ‘game changing’ technologies.
At VRAI, we believe that virtual reality technology is going to revolutionise how people train. Virtually since the dawn of powered flight, brave pilots have been using simulators to practice their techniques before taking a real aircraft into the skies. Indeed pilots could practice emergency scenarios safely in the simulator that could not be done in real aircraft without significant risk.
Converging technologies mean that this technology is now becoming available to all roles. We’re harnessing and combining virtual reality, data capture, cloud computing and contemporary training methodologies in order to bring affordable virtual aerospace simulation training to all.
Virtual reality headsets offer an unparalleled method for understanding what an aerospace trainee is doing while completing simulation training. We have built HEAT to capture and exploit this data.
From understanding what they are looking at and for how long, to how they respond to that input, HEAT can capture, store analyse and present data in order to deliver actionable insights to instructors.
We combine virtual reality technology (VR) with data capture, analysis and machine learning (ML) in order to measure, evaluate and predict human performance and deliver evidence based training from pilots to palette loaders.
The tools we have developed allow for enhanced evidence based learning not just from VR simulation, but across the simulation training spectrum.
On project iDAS we set ourselves the task of building a system capable of objectively understanding
Airmanship in fast jet pilots. We combined off the shelf flight simulation software, HOTAS,
computer hardware and a VR headset with our HEAT data capture product.
From a Quantitative perspective, the independently estimated savings per 12 student gunnery course, assuming just 3 days of simulation use, are:
The system is capable of capturing and storing 230 data points per frame of VR or almost 25m data points per hour of simulation!
Over 3 sessions we captured data from 39 different active duty RAF pilots which gave us a data set of nearly 1 billion data points.
As this data set is too large for a human to comprehend, we are currently developing and deploying machine learning across it in order to better understand how we can codify airmanship behaviours.
We are also currently expanding the iDAS data capture system to work with non-VR applications.
By using virtual reality simulation training combined with data capture the following benefits can be achieved
Eye tracking / biometric data to quantify pilot behaviour
Data to indicate which tasks can be trained in low cost/lower power simulation solution
Portable system to allow for ‘homework’
Objective oversight on performance
for instructors
Integration into existing simulators to provide end to end trainee profile
Characteristics can be identified in recruits early
At VRAI, providing a Return on Investment is always a key consideration. We believe in the value of virtual reality for simulation training and always look for key metrics with our customers to prove that.
Calculate your ROI
Instructors sometimes find it hard to quantify what is causing student behaviour – they can see the effect – for example the aircraft speed dropping – but it is hard to assess if the student is aware of what is causing the problem – ie have the students checked horizon/their instruments for attitude and has the instructor actually seen what the student was concentrating on when the error was made.
Cause/effect need to be correlated and instructors don’t always get it right. Being able to quantify the actions they take in order to assess and correct a problem would be of benefit in an after action review.
-Senior RAF Instructor
The challenge we set ourselves on Project iDAS was to understand this idea of cause and effect in fast jet pilots, particularly in relation to Airmanship in RAF pilots.
Airmanship is typically a subjective assessment of the students performance, made by an instructor. We are aiming to use data to give instructors a tool to allow them to provide a more objective assessment.
We combined commercial off the shelf flight simulation technology, both software and hardware, with a VR headset and HEAT.
The Project iDAS team included leading academic experts in behavioural psychology and machine learning. Working with these experts we devised a number of scenarios to test lookout and situational awareness characteristics in pilots. We also identified what we believed would be the key data points for artificial intelligence to understand what the pilots were doing.
We build all of this knowledge into a man portable system which can be carried on commercial airlines and set up at a standard office desk in approximately 15 minutes.
We used this portability to travel to 3 active duty RAF stations and capture data from 39 active duty pilots. In total we captured almost 1 billion data points.
This data is currently being analysed and initial results are providing some very interesting insights.
By using virtual reality simulation training combined with data capture the following benefits can be achieved
Eye tracking/ biometric data to quantify pilot behaviour
Data to indicate which tasks can be trained in low cost/lower power simulation solution
Portable system to allow for ‘homework’
Objective oversight on performance for instructors
Integration into existing simulators to provide end to end trainee profile
Characteristics can be identified in recruits early
At VRAI, providing a Return on Investment is always a key consideration. We believe in the value of virtual reality for simulation training and always look for key metrics with our customers to prove that.
Calculate your ROI
At VRAI our vision is that virtual reality technology will democratise simulation training. No longer will simulators be only available to high value, highly skilled jobs such as pilots or surgeons. We believe it will enable other roles to avail of simulation training.
Our winching product epitomises that vision. Traditionally rear crew training for helicopter winching was a laborious and expensive activity. Other than in the aircraft, there was no credible way for the crews to train.
Operating the aircraft comes with a significant cost both in terms of fuel and maintenance costs, but also in terms of personnel. And even at that, it is very difficult and extremely dangerous to simulate real world rescue situations for the crews to practise with.
We sought to address this challenge by creating a simulator for these rear crews.
For the Irish Air Corps we provided an off the shelf solution for the AW139 Search and Rescue Rear Crew Trainer.
This features an instructor driven simulation where they can control the aircraft, environment and emergency scenarios with real time comms. An extensive range of options are available including 13 emergency scenarios (spinning winchman, tail rotor failure etc.) in 9 operational environments.
The system is designed to be portable packing into a single flight case and can be deployed in under 10 minutes for student home study or under instruction in a classroom.
Data capture and individual profiles give instructor oversight on performance over time.
The simulation is currently in use by the Irish Air Corps for training and assessment purposes.
By using virtual reality simulation training combined with data capture the following benefits can be achieved
VR enables ‘practice by doing’ leading to higher levels of understanding of operations
Realistic Comms allow for crew training
Up to $5000/ hour savings over training in aircraft
Data capture adds quantifiable insights to student performance
Modular system complexity can be added as required and can integrate with existing sims
Tried & tested system currently being used by Irish Air Corps
At VRAI, providing a Return on Investment is always a key consideration. We believe in the value of virtual reality for simulation training and always look for key metrics with our customers to prove that.
Calculate your ROI
2000 employees move tonnes of different types of cargo in a huge warehouse onto aircraft 365 days a year. There isn’t available time to show each employee, new or old – around the warehouse, what their colleagues do or how they do it.
The challenge was to create a safe, memorable & efficient way to onboard and upskill employees in IAG Cargo’s Ascentis freight handling centre in Heathrow using VR technology.
Recreate Ascentis in virtual reality. This VR experience shows both new and existing staff how a piece of freight moves through the Ascentis facility. There are interactive stops throughout the experience providing information, training and safety awareness.
Users can safely practice driving a forklift in VR, or prepare cargo for an aircraft, so that they are better prepared and informed when they do it for real.
Testing Results:
of users said they have learned something
new since working with VRAI
Employees understanding of the operation has increased from an average of 5/10, to 8/10
Tour timings reduced from 90 minutes to 15 minutes
“Since working with VRAI to create a virtual tour of our Ascentis warehouse, 94% of users said they have learned something new
(compared to the physical tour) and their understanding of the operation has increased from an average of 5/10, to 8/10. Moreover, we have managed to reduce tour timings from 90 minutes to 15 minutes. The experience has also inspired colleagues to explore how virtual reality could be used in other parts of our business.”
By using virtual reality simulation training combined with data capture the following benefits can be achieved
Evidence based training
Simulation at the point of need (portability/ homework)
Instructor oversight via dashboard
Actionable insights via dashboard small number of actionable metrics
Machine Learning to find unseen golden nuggets/ understand huge data sets
Doing more with the same resources (NOT more with less)
At VRAI, providing a Return on Investment is always a key consideration. We believe in the value of virtual reality for simulation training and always look for key metrics with our customers to prove that.
Calculate your ROI
