When a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan detonates landmines, it's
a tug between life and death. A tiny mistake could mean instant
death.
'The English Patient' is set in the time of the Second World
War. Back then, to defuse a bomb, combatants relied on pliers, and
their ability to recall classroom lessons, to nip the right
wire.
Thankfully in present times, the technology used by our men and
women overseas is a tad more sophisticated.
Today, a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan tackling a landmine
would be able to turn on a 'ruggedized' personal digital assistant
(R-PDA), and browse through an electronic training manual, which
contains, not just words, but a 3D image of the landmine.
He or she would then be able to view and interact with the
simulated "landmine" on the PDA from different angles, even viewing
its internal components, before making a move.
Soldiers in Afghanistan may encounter up to 70 different types
of mines. All are lethal, including the ones mounted on stakes
20-30 cm above the ground, and can be set off by a trip wire hidden
on ground. Having information in advance on their PDAs gives
soldiers an idea of what they may encounter, said Tom Stewart,
master warrant officer, Canadian forces J3 engineer operations.
Benefits of simulation technology have reached our soldiers
thanks to an alliance between the Department of National Defense
(DND) and Vancouver-based Ngrain, a provider of interactive 3D
training software.
Information soldiers can access on their PDAs includes the
Canadian Forces Landmine Database (CFLD). It contains information
on landmines found around the world, along with a detailed
description of their features, appearance, locations and how to
dispose of them.
That's a tremendous amount of information right in the pocket of
the soldier - information that increases his or her effectiveness
in dealing with landmines, said Stewart.
He says placing the CFLD on the PDA has opened the door to
loading many other databases onto the device. In addition, as the
landmine database has been designed to be easily updated,
information on new mines can be added and existing records can be
amended as necessary.
On the ground, soldiers access information through "knowledge
objects", said Paul Lindahl, president and CEO of Ngrain. A
knowledge object is an interactive 3D model or scene that visually
communicates information about the equipment, machinery or assembly
it represents.
Ngrain develops 3D knowledge objects from the military training
manual. By clicking on a knowledge object on their PDA, soldiers
get all the information they want, said Lindahl.
For instance, he said, a soldier in Afghanistan has to assemble
a satellite dish used in communication. The dish comes in three
suitcases. If the soldier has never witnessed the dish being
assembled before, he or she can quickly refer to a 3D training
manual on a PDA b clicking on the knowledge object that has
information on satellite dishes. That click provides access to a
wealth of information in the form of animated designs, hyperlinks
and additional reference material.
"Setting up 3D knowledge objects is easy," said Lindahl. They
are created by subject-matter experts who are military trainers
using an Ngrain product called Producer. "Our experience has been
most subject-matter experts are not familiar with 3D. So there is
no programming or scripting involved in setting up knowledge
objects. If you can operate Microsoft Office products, you can use
Ngrain Producer."
Once these objects are set-up, they can be inserted into
courseware. Much like Acrobat Reader or a Flash player, this is a
"viewing" technology, said Lindahl.
He said most soldiers fighting overseas belong to the video
games generation. "They are used to computers and an interactive
approach to learning. So if they are taught in 3D, they immediately
absorb that information.
He said Canadian soldiers have been using knowledge objects and
3D training on their laptops for four years now. With the new
contract, they will be able to access knowledge objects on their
PDAs. This access, he says, "saves 40 per cent of the total time"
that would normally be spent looking for such information in other
places.
icon.
