British Army to Train With Humanoid Robotic Targets That Come Alive in Virtual Reality

British Army paratroopers could soon be training with humanoid robotic targets that come alive in virtual reality (VR). Troops at 16 Air Assault Brigade will be training with VR at their facilities in Colchester Essex, giving them a different and high-tech training compared to other soldiers.

Those robots look like mannequins in reality, but the VR will simulate them as avatars of enemy fighters shooting pellets and shouting in foreign languages.

How Do Humanoid Robotic Targets Work?

British paratroopers can now train with robots that will shoot back and open fire at them as they practice hand-to-hand combat in mock towns and villages, The Times reported.

It is a new way of training and different from the typical way soldiers shoot at metal or wooden targets known as "figure 11s" or "figure 12s," which depends on whether they are full-sized mannequins standing up or just a torso.

With the humanoid robotic targets, British paratroopers will be able to train with robots armed with BB gun-style pellets that they will use to shoot back. The news outlet reported that the British Army plans to buy 10 of them.

British defense firm 4GD will be supplying the humanoid robotic targets called SimStrikers to the British Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade. The company's founder Rob Taylor said that 4GD's Simstriker is a high-tech solution for impactful and data-driven close combat training that takes a step away from traditional wooden targets toward a new generation of smart adversaries that add realism to simulations.

The humanoid mannequins can rotate to face the troops as they enter the building and drop down to fire or shoot their targets. It also has high-tech instruments that can detect movement, light, and sound. These sensors also record trainees' fire rate and accuracy during the training.

Moreover, SimStrikers can shout and scream in different languages to simulate foreign enemies. The mannequin could shoot the pellets from the head and hip when they detect enemies.

Taylor told The Times that troops could also look out a window and see a virtual war zone like the real world. It also gives the trainees the opportunity to experience audio and scents to enhance realism in a virtual world.

Increasing the Quality of Training

4GD wants to avoid using virtual reality masks that troops use to complete the training session. An alternative they found is using digital twins and virtual portals on a computer.

Taylor told MailOnline that SimStriker could be used to portray troops in the real or physical world in virtual reality, wherein they could train or shoot enemies and would die in the virtual world if they also drop dead in the real world. "Anything that happens in the real world happens in the virtual and vice versa," he said.

Ultimately, 4GD's goal is to enhance the quality of training through the blend of reality and virtual. By combining realistic training scenarios with virtual reality technology, they hope could improve and deliver successful outcomes in real-life conflict.

The firm wrote on its website that they aim to redefine the future of immersive close combat training and at the heart of this is the drive to achieve excellence through "immersive, realistic and flexible facilities.'

Check out more news and information on Virtual Reality in Science Times.