I/ITSEC Jumps Right Into The World Of VR

Two years ago, at the previous I/ITSEC, we estimated that at least half of the hundreds of exhibit booths were using virtual-reality headsets in their training demos. The majority of those were consumer-grade off-the-shelf, albeit, lower-end headsets. This year, it’s a surprise to pass a booth that is not using some flavor of VR.

The professional-grade VR/MR headsets from Finnish company Varjo, Czech-based VRgineers, and JVC have become dominant, offering for the first time the viability of flight training-capable resolution and field of view.

I test-flew the VRgineers XTAL3, which offers a 180° horizontal and 90° vertical field of view, full RGB 8K resolution, patented aspherical, non-fresnel lenses, integrated eye- and hand-tracking, and the ability to see the cockpit screens and your hands via an embedded camera/video relay. The XTAL3 supports IGs such as Prepar3D and VBS3/VBS4, as well Unity and Unreal game engines. Co-founder and CEO Marek Polčák said the headset was designed in cooperation with the US Navy.

But military training cannot live by headsets alone, so there’s an abundance of new image generators, displays, and projectors on the show floor. Norway-based Norxe unveiled three new native 4K projectors – the 2,500-lumens P50, 4,500-lumens P60, and 5,500-lumens P65. Head of Business Development UK, Iain Ambler, noted the smaller form factor of the line, compared with competitors (40.8, 49.6, and 51.8 lbs, respectively) and the trademarked NXL hybrid light source, fully solid-state with no moving parts or colour wheels.

Lockheed Martin incorporated conventional flat-screen displays in its MRT-LITE (Mission Rehearsal Trainer – Lightning Integrated Training Environment) for training tactics, techniques and procedures for pilots of fifth-gen fighters such as the F-35. Key selling point: a smaller footprint than full-up mission sims. Concurrency with the air vehicle is via OFP-based software. Erik “Rock” Etz, LM Senior Manager, New Business, Strategy and Roadmap, said the device is currently “internal” while they collect customer feedback. He anticipates basing of four LITEs to four full-mission simulators.

ATS Sim (formerly Applied Training Solutions) is working with geospatial experts ESRI to convert their disaster-management databases from 2D to 3D – with dramatic visualization effect. ATS develops web-based constructive simulations for management and staff training to develop awareness, preparedness and readiness for Homeland Security teams in emergency situations (natural disasters, pandemics, active shooters, CBRN) as well as defense-related ops.

The new FSI Defence reflects an aggressive new approach for FlightSafety International’s military-facing side. It’s backed up by fresh troops with backgrounds in areas such as fighter jets, UAVs, Army ground, and other areas beyond the current air transport- and helicopter-heavy portfolio. West Point grad Dan Davis, President, told MS&T FSI Defense is focused on establishing a single customer touchpoint “and executing on what we have now.”

Davis is from the Binghamton, New York area (the original home of simulation), where I misspent my youth, a refreshing revelation. I’ve come across a few friends who are veterans of numerous I/ITSECs, but each year their number diminishes, and during the two-year pandemic hiatus many more seem to have left the industry.

I’m looking forward to developing relationships with the new generation of S&T leaders and communicators.