Simulators for human-oriented training

Most military simulators are based on vehicles of some sort, such as helicopter simulators, tank simulators, aircraft simulators, and so forth. Without a doubt, such simulators have had a very positive effect on training, reducing cost and at the same time allowing training in situations that would be too dangerous to execute in reality. However, it is also the case that such simulators have largely left the ground-based warfighter in the dust. There is little support for training a soldier for on-the-ground presence patrols or tasks such as tactical questioning. This can be a problem, because a successful mission involves many interpersonal issues, such as leadership when dealing with other team members, cultural awareness when working with locals in a foreign country, and negotiation with other military services or non-governmental organizations. At the Institute for Creative Technologies, we have been constructing a variety of systems that address these needs. These range from systems that have been largely constructed with off-the-shelf technology and are readily deployable to advanced research prototypes that are pushing the bounds of what can be accomplished in simulation. In this talk, I will discuss three of the systems the ICT has developed. The first, SLIM-ES3, is a web-delivered training system that allows a soldier to practice skills such as threat identification, active surveillance, and information gathering. The second, AXL, is a mixed-media environment that helps develop leadership skills. Finally, the third system, SASO-ST, uses virtual humans to help a soldier acquire negotiation skills.