XR and Biometric Data Unite for Military Training

Varjo and VRAI have announced a strategic partnership to combine virtual and mixed reality simulation with human performance analytics for military training. The partnership was announced at ITEC in London on April 14, 2026.

The collaboration brings together Varjo's XR technology and VRAI's HEAT software, which captures biometric indicators including cognitive load, physiological stress, heart rate, eye movement, control inputs, and communications during simulation sessions. Instructors can access this data through a real-time dashboard, enabling earlier intervention and more precise feedback.

The partnership builds on existing deployments with Rheinmetall and the Irish Defence Forces, where the instructor-to-trainee ratio improved from approximately 1:3 to 1:12 without increasing instructor workload.

"The world has changed, and how we train our personnel has to change with it," said Pat O'Connor, CEO and co-founder of VRAI. "We have seen how our customers in Ireland have combined Varjo and HEAT solutions to transform how they deliver armor crew training, and this partnership is how we bring this solution to defense customers at scale. We are empowering instructors with actionable insights into what is driving performance, and Varjo's technology is a big part of why we can do that."

"We built immersive simulation technology to put people inside scenarios that matter, and VRAI tells you exactly what happened to them when they got there. Together, we can deliver training that gets smarter with every session, because each one generates data that makes the next one better," said Valentin Storz, Chief Revenue Officer at Varjo.

VRAI will become an authorized reseller of Varjo technology. All Varjo customers will have access to a starter version of HEAT from May 2026.

The two companies are demonstrating joint solutions at ITEC in London, UK, on April 14–16 at Varjo booth M40.