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UAS crew training to benefit from VR

23rd April 2021 - 12:45 GMT | by Shephard News Team

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EMPACT will train UAS crews via VR technology. (Photo: HTX Labs)

EMPACT virtual reality technology is being rolled out to USAF for UAS operator training.

The USAF has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract for HTX Labs to adapt and deploy its EMPACT immersive virtual reality (VR) training platform to train UAS crews.

Announcing the contract on 22 April, HTX Labs stated that it will collaborate with the 558th Flying Training Squadron and the Texas Air National Guard, to integrate EMPACT with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Vigilant Spirit Control Station.

This should enable the USAF ‘to more effectively and efficiently train RPA pilots and sensor operators through advanced immersive content creation and analytics capabilities’, HTX claimed.

EMPACT provides portable, multi-modal learning that will enable UAS operators to train remotely on VR head-mounted displays, laptops, and tablets. This will ‘more broadly scale and sustain immersive training’ across the USAF, HTX added.

The company will also unlock additional immersive visualisation and analytics capabilities via integration with Vigilant Spirit.

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