The millitary utilizes virtual reality more than any other division of this report. Simulation cockpits to train pilots have existed for decades and are responsible for many of the significant advances made in VR in recent times. Millitary teams can now practice manuevers and teamwork at different bases, using different equipment such as tanks and planes. With the cost of planes and tanks reaching astronomical proportions, it can be expected that the millitary will make even further advances in VR to avoid paying the price of crashing an expensive piece of equipment.

Super Cockpit

• Air Force had a problem with the number of displays and switches (75 displays and 300 switches)
• needed a paradigm shift from focus on information glut to creating a visualization for what went on the pilot's head
• a special helmet was used to project high resolution images to the pilot's eyes via miniature CRTs
• this effort led to advances in other technologies such as correlation of 3D sound to images by earprints, advanced tracking technologies and large LCD screens to be used as virtual cockpit displays
• ultimate user interface was so non-intrusive that a pilot fainted when he thought he had landed to low

Virtual Interface Environment Workstation

• developed by the Aerospace Human Factors Research division of NASA
• the system incorporates a head-mounted visual display, data gloves, speech recognition, 3-D audio and speech synthesis, computer graphics, and video imaging gear
• developed mainly for space missions to aid astronauts in monitoring a spaceship's electronic systems
• also considered by NASA to be an information management interface
• developing technology that allows insertion of live video into the virtual environment

SIMNET

• network interactive VR used at six military bases
• first low cost network able to teach tank, helicopter, and aircraft people tactical maneuvers and how to work as a team together

Links

NASA's VR Page