Engineering Advance Sets Stage for New Training Environment
Ann Arbor, Mich. – FAAC Incorporated has unlocked the secret of two-student simultaneous training and has built a simulator that will change the landscape of driver training simulation.
The new 3D-enabled 2View© driver training simulator was developed with two separate viewpoints – one for the driver and a separate, visually correct viewpoint for the second front-seat crew member.
This innovative advancement can separately compute and render the same scene from two unique points of view, which enables both driver and officer to process their own full-screen image separately from each other in perfect, high-definition quality. While not new to the military and aviation industries, this dual-view technology is a first in commercially affordable simulation applications.
“The problem in the past with two-seat simulators was that the view from the crew seat was not configured properly for its position in the simulator,” said David Bouwkamp, FAAC’s Executive Director for Commercial Business Development. “As a result, the student in that second seat sees a skewed image of the virtual driving world and soon becomes sick from the distorted view.”
Since FAAC engineers unlocked its proprietary 2View capability, an entirely new training landscape has emerged.
For the first time, fire departments can train their drivers and officers in a collaborative learning environment that builds critical teamwork experience and the oversight skills necessary to comply with national training standards. Officers must be provided training because they are ultimately responsible for the actions of the vehicle driver, according to driver training standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 1500: A6.2.4).
Training capabilities include:
- • officer roles and responsibilities to conform with NFPA standards;
- • teamwork, collaboration, and communication between driver and officer;
- • initial on-scene command strategies and tactics;
- • proper radio communication between dispatch and other responders;
- • evaluation and coaching skills for officers, and
- • in-cab equipment operation.
“It will be exciting to watch departments bring these 2View simulators on board and see how they use that second seat to expand their current training programs,” said Bouwkamp. “We are proud of our engineering team that they were able to design that second viewpoint from the officer’s seat. It was not an easy task, but this is where FAAC excels - understanding the training demands and objectives and then putting our resources to task to find the solution.”
The 2View simulator system is scheduled to be formally unveiled at the upcoming FDIC show in Booth #13110. For more information on FAAC products and services, contact Bill Martin at 734-761-5836 (wbmartin@faac.com) or visit the website at www.faac.com.