Beca Applied Technologies (BAT) researched and developed an interactive prototype system for training students to marshall helicopters in a simulated environment - a defence vessel at sea.
In developing the prototype, our software engineers integrated the motion sensor capability of Microsoft Kinect technology with VBS2 simulation environment from Bohemia Interactive.
Helicopter marshalling involves well-defined movements. This technology allows trainees to practise those movements in a virtual environment, helping to build the necessary muscle memory in order to perform their air marshalling duties more accurately once on-the-job. Not only does this reduce the cost of training in the ‘real’ environment, it also assists with reducing health and safety risks.
While this particular prototype uses a defence vessel at sea, the virtual environment can be configured for any situation and could include scenarios such as adverse weather conditions or mechanical failures.
BAT believes this type of technology has the potential to be applied in other environments where the precision of peoples’ movements could have expensive or dangerous consequences in the event of operator error.
Technical Paper