MVR showcases ‘sand table' to see training events from multiple viewpo…

The components of Lockheed Martin's SIMRES geo-pairing system: player unit, helmet sensor, and weapon sensor mounted on the barrel of an Airsoft weapon that was being used for demonstration purposes. (Giles Ebbutt)

MVRsimulation (MVR) has developed a mixed reality (MR) sand table for training and mission rehearsal and showcased it at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) 2023 in Orlando in November.

The sand table enables users to collaborate interactively in a shared MR setting, viewing the virtual world on a three-dimensional (3D) visualised “table” in MVR's Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) environment, Garth Smith, president and co-founder of MVR, told Janes .

Each user is equipped with a Varjo MR head-mounted display (HMD) that enables the wearer to explore the virtual environment while continuing to interact with real-world objects, such as emulated military equipment. The Varjo HMD eye tracking capability provides a coloured frustum (‘beam') in the virtual world showing the user's direction of view. This is particularly useful for instructors who can see whether a student is (or was in an after-action review [AAR]) looking at the correct entity or location at any particular moment.

To control their view of the sand table and their interaction, each user has a Valve Index Controller, enabling them to zoom in or out for close-up evaluation of a single entity, or to gain a top-down view of the entire battlefield. The controllers also provide a virtual pointer that can be used to point to specific elements in mission planning or AAR, and direct other participants' attention to a location or entity.