Virtual environments for shipboard firefighting training

A virtual environment (VE) of portions of the ex-USS Shadwell, the Navy´s full-scale fire research and test ship, has been developed to study the feasibility of using immersive VE as a tool for shipboard firefighting training and mission rehearsal. The VE system uses a head-mounted display and 3D joystick to allow users to navigate through and interact with the environment. Fire and smoke effects are added to simulate actual firefighting conditions. This paper describes the feasibility tests that were performed aboard the Shadwell and presents promising results of the benefits of VE training over conventional training methods