ACI is developing its training product portfolio to support mounted operations as well as increasingly challenging dismounted training scenarios. Group Editor Marty Kauchak provides highlights of his recent discussion with ACI’s CEO Laurent Scallie about his company’s recent and near-term efforts.
Atlantis Cyberspace, Inc.’s (ACI) technology portfolio has evolved to include three interoperable components: TrainAsYouFight™ hardware; Engine Agnostic Interface Middleware; and TakePoint™ software.
The company has been developing its menu of products since 2004 and had its first hardware sale with Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) in 2006.
The TrainAsYouFight™ product is an individual, fully-immersive, virtual reality platform capable of supporting mounted and dismounted training scenarios. The product supports up to 64 individuals in a network-type configuration.
Asked what sets TrainAsYouFight™ apart from other products entering the market for mounted and dismounted applications, Scallie responded, “One breakthrough from the hardware design and development perspective is that we have managed to have the highest level of fidelity by using a high definition, wireless, video transmission. The computers that render the virtual world do not need to be battery operated or even on the back of the user.”
TrainAsYouFight™ has a one millisecond latency between transmission and reception with no compression. Scallie pointed out that comparable dismounted systems which use man-wearable computers have a data flow rate of 20 to 30 times slower than TrainAsYouFight™. And by eliminating man-wearable computers in this wireless application, system reliability increases, the weight of the training system is reduced and other benefits are realized. The system’s wireless receiver is affixed to the back of the trainee’s helmet.
Another TrainAsYouFight™ subcomponent, the portable, optical tracking system, may be set up in about 15 minutes. The system permits the training audience to be tracked by passive techniques with 6 degrees of freedom fidelity.
The system is delivered pre-calibrated to the training venue and can be set up by individuals who have no technical skills.
“The other systems in the industry are using gyro-scope based solutions to track the weapon, for example, for orientation. We believe that is grossly insufficient. It introduces negative training as you can’t naturally communicate with hand and arm signals, you can’t naturally move in the training environment and accomplish other tasks,” Scallie pointed out.
ACI is also inserting innovation into the TrainAsYouFight™’s marksmanship capability. The 6DOF tracking with sub millimeter precision allow for natural front and rear site alignment; you see your virtual weapon positioned exactly as the physical one you are holding. None of the negative training induced by an artificial “iron sight” mode is created.
The company is also moving beyond state-of-the-art weapon instrumentation which places sensors inside the small arm to provide connectivity and feedback to the supported PC. ACI uses a patent-pending design for instrumented, magnetic skins which are placed on both sides of the weapon and sends information wirelessly to the supporting computer. “It detects the magnetic signature of the weapons mechanical moving parts. If you were to pull the charging handle, turn the select switch or pull the magazine out, or pull the trigger – anything that you are physically doing to the weapon is sensed by those skins,” Scallie explained.
While the current instrumented weapons skins are used in M4s, efforts are under way to apply the technology to other DoD weapons.
The TrainAsYouFight™ subsystems including the wireless helmet mounted display, the optical tracking system and a CO2 Recoil M4 instrumented with the skins. Some of these components such as the WirelessHD HMD will be available as a stand-alone product from ACI.
Middleware
ACI has placed all of its simulation capabilities into the Engine Agnostic Interface (EAI) Middleware. The middleware can operate with any game engine. The EAI middleware allows the game engine to have the all of the capabilities that would otherwise be coded inside the game engine itself. Scallie elaborated. “It allows our platform to grow with the progress of the game industry. This approach is extremely important for the simulation industry that is looking to leverage gaming technologies for powering their simulation applications. For whatever hardware is supported and coded, you don’t need to recode that hardware support.”
With the EAI middleware, hardware-game engine interoperability also extends into network support, in the HLA and DIS configurations.
Software
The TakePoint™ software is based on the Unreal 3.0 game engine. Scallie pointed out that VBS2 is integrated with the EAI and that ACI has plans to integrate CryENGINE, as well as other legacy and future engines to its EAI platform.
ACI’s software along with its accompanying hardware and middleware components are being developed to support the demands of an AAR and mission rehearsal capabilities for dismounted training audiences.
Way Ahead
The development of the TrainAsYouFight™ hardware platform is being finalized as part of a three-year fielding effort with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
The first production devices will be delivered to that Guard’s 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in the first half of this year. Full rate production is scheduled to begin at mid-year.
ACI’s industry team includes Metters, to help field the TrainAsYouFight™ hardware.
