MR Can ‘Drastically’ Reduce Training Costs, Varjo Says

The Finnish VR Tech Giant Said VR and MR Training Solutions Could Help Firms in the Age of COVID-19

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Mixed RealityInsights

Published: July 16, 2021

Demond Cureton

Immersive tools such as virtual and mixed reality (VR/MR) have empowered businesses by significantly cutting training simulator costs, Varjo Technologies wrote in its latest eBook.

The Finnish VR firm found moving “even a part” of training modules to VR and XR training could “drastically reduce the total cost of training” amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Just one hour of VR training could save firms up to 99 percent of costs, and firms could deploy headsets to all locations to instruct multiple learners “exactly when and where needed”, the report added.

Citing trials with the Finnish Air Force, Varjo said its MR headsets could simulate large-scale and dangerous scenarios to safely educate pilots with “a new level of readiness” prior to deployment, which could be modified or repeated when needed.

VR and MR simulators could also recreate conditions such as live flying and real cockpit interfaces, along with charts and immersive virtual worlds.

Pteemu Pöysti, Finnish Chief of Air Force Training, said as cited by the report such VR solutions were:

“more motivating and efficient training while utilising advanced simulators together with live flight training”

Companies such as Fortum, a major Nordic power generation firm, also designed and developed the world’s first interactive VR control room with Varjo headsets to train workers at its Loviisa site.

The trainer module prepares employees for conditions such as fires, floods, earthquakes and others, which were “impossible to accomplish in a physical simulator”. Eye-tracking technologies and analytics could also monitor trainee progress and have attracted 90 percent of staff to complete the exercises.

XR’s Role In Training Solutions

The news comes amid several key developments in the XR industry, namely in aerospace, defence, and 5G telecommunications.

Canadian aerospace and defence firm CAE announced on Thursday plans to invest C$ 1 billion Canadian dollars over five years to transform numerous sectors across the country with emerging technologies.

The governments of Canada and Quebec launched Project Resilience, a major infrastructure initiative to build XR solutions along with artificial intelligence (AI) and data ecosystems, and pledged C$340 million USD to fund the project along with CAE’s investments.

Sweden’s Saab also partnered with Varjo in June to create an MR solution for the nation’s Gripen E/F fighter jets, saving on operational costs and reducing equipment downtime.

King Crow Studios, a Louisiana-based VR and gaming firm, announced a $6.5 million USD contract over four years with the United States Air Force (USAF) to train B-52 pilots with XR training technologies.

Reports citing data from a Lenovo study found 54 percent of teachers, and 41 percent of parents wanted to boost VR/AR training solutions in classroms, with 70 stating remote learning had taught vital sills.

 

 

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