NEW SECURITY LEARNING

Virtual training for bomb disposal experts

Bomb disposal experts from military and police forces are needed infrequently and not on a daily basis. None the less do they always have to be prepared and able to fulfil their dangerous missions at anytime. To train for this more efficiently than before, a German company has introduced a new Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation System (RCVS).

The Bremen based company, szenaris GmbH, developed virtual reality simulation for the three remotely controlled explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots tEODor, Telemax and PackBot EOD. While the simulation programme itself runs on almost any standard PC or laptop, the three virtual robots within it are steered via the original control devices.

'All parameters like movement, gripper functionality or EOD procedures are simulated absolutely lifelike', szenaris managing director Dr. Uwe Katzky explains. All control and display elements such as the vehicle’s camera are simulated. So too are the EOD robot's weapons, disruptor and shotgun.

The standard Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation consists of two mobile or stationary computer workplaces for trainee and instructor and the control device for the robot. While the trainee gets the perspective of the simulated vehicle’s camera or the robot in the virtual environment shown on its monitor, the instructor is also offered training management software.

With its help he can select a specific simulation area out of a pool of 13 different scenarios such as cars, buildings, airplanes and different kinds of terrains.