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Journalism of Courage
The virtual world can be fun as video games have shown. Use it to train real-life soldiers and it’s more than useful. For, forget the rough and tumble of the battlefield, it is the one place where soldiers can make mistakes, but get a second chance.
Armed and convinced by its advantages, the Pune-based Institute of Armament Technology (IAT) is developing a virtual reality lab to train defence personnel and hopes to get it up and running within a year.
‘‘This system has been used succesfully by American forces,’’ said defence analyst Col Anil Athale, who observed the virtual reality systems at the University of Illinois, a pioneer in using this technique. ‘‘At a tactical level, this technology is very useful. Specially in decision-making situations like entering a hostile house. It is good for gauging response,’’ he said.
Also, everything is recorded precisely and accurate feedback can be generated.
Dixit said soldiers would be fitted with head-mounted displays, immersive goggles and gloves and will then be hooked on to a network (similar to the internet). ‘‘It will be an exact replica of the battleground and soldiers can interact with each other and take part in war simulations,’’ he said.
Through a secure network, it will be possible for officers at different locations to take part in the same exercise. But there’s a hitch: A 2 Mbps data line available with the defence forces restricts use to three or four personnel undergoing simulation training at any time.
