Virtual reality techniques being developed at Iowa State University are helping the National Guard “see” the battlefield before actual combat.
The Iowa National Guard is working with I-S-U’s Virtual Reality Applications Center to create computer-generated virtual battlefields. Center spokesperson Adrian Sannier says it’s called an immersive environment because it immerses the soldier in the battlefield. The computer simulates all the things that a soldier might see on a mission.
For example, he says the computers can recreate an environment for an air traffic controller in which planes and helicopters are flying all around.
Sannier says the program is receiving 23-million dollars in funding.
The money comes from the U-S Army National Guard. He says the U-S Department of Defense is watching the project to see if it can eventually be used nationwide.