| Résumé | There is a growing interest in the Canadian Army for using off-the-shelf computer games in training because of the interactivity and engagement they create for the trainees. Unfortunately, existing solutions do not always satisfy the aggregated training needs of infantry. In this paper, we briefly describe the challenges and shortcomings of both physical and virtual training systems, and the specific training needs identified through field studies in partnership with the Department of National Defence Canada. We then describe research solutions addressing these specific challenges, such as novel interaction methods in immersive environments, usable speech recognition, simulated weapons (laser rifles, electronic flashbang, etc.), flexible serious gaming platforms with intelligent agents and cognitive models, and mobile control interface for instructors. We also present the outcomes of field observations revealing what additions are required to improve learning scenarios for serious games. Within our research project we created a platform for developing and validating novel interaction methods, technologies, and devices that create mixed-reality immersive training systems that are safer, more cost efficient, and more effective for learning than physical environments or purely virtual reality systems. The immediate use of our mixed-reality system is in practicing engagement skills and training personnel in the rapid application of judgment and of rules of engagement and in the use of force. We conclude by describing the findings of human-subject evaluations conducted with an implementation of our research platform, presenting lessons from technology-specific feasibility, to educational/learning impact, and to human factors of interacting with an intelligent, immersive, training system. These findings provide encouraging evidence that such solutions will allow infantry, law enforcement, or public safety personnel to train using a virtual environment in a manner similar to training in a physical environment. |
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