CASE STUDY
Aerospace Trainees
Solution
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 performance 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 visualise data in order to deliver actionable insights to instructors and trainees.
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.
HEAT allows for enhanced evidence based learning not just from VR simulation, but across the simulation training process.
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 data driven virtual reality technology is going to revolutionise how people train. Virtually since the dawn of powered flight, 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.
Challenge
Result
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.
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.
