US immersive training technology firm Moth+Flame announced in July the United States Air Force (USAF) had deployed its virtual reality (VR) sexual assault prevention and response training platform.
The Brooklyn, New York-based VR company introduced the three-part immersive training programme to airmen stationed at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, which aims to address multiple issues such as victim advocacy, reporting protocols for crimes, and conflict intervention skills.
The firm has a massive portfolio of clients such as Netflix, IMAX, Accenture, Google, Oculus, MTV, AMD, and received critical acclaim from the Mobile World Congress, Cannes Lions, AICP NEXT, Sundance, and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.
Kevin Cornish, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Moth+Flame, said:
“We take a great deal of pride in helping the armed forces develop smarter, safer, and more responsive teams through immersive training. This is such an important issue, and by bringing people into environments where they have to confront difficult situations, we can help prepare them for when these scenarios arise in the real world”
He added the USAF had been a “tremendous partner” to improve staff responses to such complex, serious concerns.
Carmen Schott, Air Mobility command Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Programme Manager, said future VR training courses should remain “innovative and creative.”
Immersive training solutions could allow Airmen to simulate “real world life situations” to build knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as “be present and connected to” such experiences, she added.
Mrs Schott continued, stating:
“Our mission is collect relevant data to show that Airmen prefer this type of training over normal classroom training and that we can track to see that they enhance comprehension of key sexual assault reporting options and resources to better equip them to intervene and help other Airmen in need.
She concluded the Air Mobility Command wanted to showcase the relevance and effectiveness of VR training in instructing Airmen on sexual assault prevention and response reporting knowledge.
An In-Depth Look at Moth+Flame’s VR Course
Trainer content will involve two 30-minute role-play scenarios where victims of sexual assault are directed by trainees to essential resources, and a second to boost bystander prevention skills.
The trainer also includes conversation-based simulations with natural language processing (NLP) to allow trainees to interact with the programme in real-time, and aims to encourage personnel to speak up in difficult conversations.
AFVentures’s AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme awarded the contract to Moth+Flame, who recently completed a successful pilot training programme at Sacramento, California’s Travis Air Force Base, aimed at tackling a rise in military suicides.
The Air Mobility Command’s Integrated Resiliency Team also developed content for the project, which is also set for use at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas later in the summer.
The developments also come as the US Department of Defense (DoD) noted a growing prevelance of sexual assault cases in the USAF, with the latter reporting 1,661 cases in its latest annual report.
Additional figures from the DoD found sucides from active personnel had spiked to 25.9 out of 100,000 staff over a five-year period, up from 20.4.
Several major VR deals have been struck to provide military training, including Finland’s Varjo partnership with Swedish aerospace and defence firm Saab, as well as Louisiana-based King Crow Studios’ contract with the USAF to develop VR pilot training modules for B-52 bombers.
