South Korean military training simulator firm Optimus System announced on Friday it had developed a Metaverse-based military and defence solution for the global market.
The DEIMOS trainer product lineup aims to build environments to train military personnel, which involves courses on precision shooting, obersvational training, and tactical behaviour instruction.
The company’s Medium-Range Assault Rifle Simulator (MARS) uses spatial synchronisation technologies to match the learner’s physical location, allowing interactive combat with multiple users at the same time as well as precision shooting and hit recognition tools.
Its Tactical Assault-shooting Drill Simulator (TAD) incorporates VR-based military tactical behavioural exercises with immersive virtual environments to practise squad-based and combat shooting exercises.
The systems were developed along with joint research and development (R&D) with the R&DB Foundation of the Korea Military Academy, with the partnership working to localise military drill simulators and create scientific trainers optimised for real war conditions, the firm said.
The Metaverse-based solution was supplied to the Korean Armed Forces and rolled out as a programme from 2019, with overseas supplies launching this year.
The news comes as the South Korean firm previously joined the National IT Industry Promotion Agency’s (NIPA) Digital Content Company Joint Overseas Expansion Support Project, which promotes the development of Metaverse, 5G, and XR-based technologies across the nation’s IT industry and abroad. Optimus System added it also plans to expand to leisure sports and other verticals in the future.
According to the Yongin City-based firm, the trainer received positive feedback from global military officials and firms at the Eurosatory 2018 event, AUSA 2019 in Washington, DC, and International Defence Exhibition in Paris, among others.
Nam-Hyuk Kim, Chief Executive for Optimus System, said,
“We plan to expand the development of scientific products to implement more effective, real war-like training systems based on the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. Our company will lead the global Metaverse market with new ideas and differentiated technologies”
The announcement comes amid a wave of new mixed reality (MR) training solutions in the military sector, which has seen numerous VR firms such as Varjo, Saab, SimiGon, BISim, King Crow Studios, Moth+Flame, and Red 6 develop immersive instruction platforms to boost military readiness.