VIPE Holodeck aims to answer U.S. Army's call for next-generation training

The future of combat is within sight, if recent statements by officials and rapidly advancing technologies are any indication. It was recently stated drones and robots will replace a large number of soldiers in the US's future Army, and now such technologies promise to alter the future of solider training altogether.

Earlier this month, the Army issued a Sources Sought notice for "mature solutions" to augment existing military training. Though many virtual technologies exist that would like to meet this call, the VIPE Holodeck stands out among them, having already scored top slot in the Army Research Laboratory's Federal Virtual Challenge and offering features needed for soldier training.

The VIPE Holodeck allows soldiers-in-training to perform all sorts of necessary maneuvers, such as crawling and running, and tosses situational training elements into replicated environments of places where the fighers could realistically end up stationed. Some examples include virtual IEDs and enemy combatants, as well as other elements typical to the real thing.

This is a quick change over some previous technology we've seen in the past, and promises a new level of combat readiness training for the Army's future. Said VIPE Holodeck program manager Ryan Frost, "The great thing about virtual reality and gaming [is that] it's moving so rapidly that really it has endless possibilities that we can do."

SOURCE: Wired