Three intense days dedicated to coordinating four working groups, interacting with various military end-users and discussing strategic evolution of the Research Group. The first NATO HFM-NMSG-354 Research Task Group on Extended Reality applications for training of CBRN first responders Plenary meeting has concluded at SAFE headquarters in Soave (Italy).
Participants from armed forces, private sector organisations and research institutions from Italy, Belgium, USA, Spain, Czech Republic and Austria contributed to the success of this event, which allowed to take concrete steps towards the preparation of the first documents that will serve as the baseline for the design and deployment of a CBRN Extended Reality Training Platform – the ultimate goal of this Research Group. The activities included, inter alia, discussions on the needs and expectations of end-users, as well as possible training scenarios suitable for virtualization.
The meeting was carried out on 25 – 27th July and included a full day of work on the premises of the 3rd Wing of the Italian Airforce base located in Villafranca (Verona), as well as visits to the former military base Calvarina in Roncà (Verona, Italy). The base is managed by SAFE since January 2021 and has become an innovative training and testing facility which offers the possibility of conducting tests of new technologies in a semi-controlled environment.
The use of Calvarina provided additional added value to the meeting, as it was possible to carry out a series of motion-tracking tests utilizing a Virtual Reality system. Being able to leverage the Calvarina’s spaces was beneficial to the final goal of the Research Group of designing and deploying an XR CBRN Training Platform.
More developments are to arrive soon; keep following us to stay updated.