The ITEC show, the European show for military and defence simulation and training, moves around each year. It was in London last year, and in Rotterdam in the Ahoy Centre this year. One of the intriguing points was that during the registration process, there is a drop down for ‘title’. Now, we’re used to Mr, Mrs and Miss and sometimes Dr, or Prof, but on the Itec registration site, there is a huge list of job titles for all the defence services, so even Rear-Admirals will be correctly identified.
The other general observation is that if you visit and are squeamish, you should avoid the booths that are showing the medical dummies for severe trauma injuries, a reminder of some of the realities of military life!
There was coverage both of immersive simulation using projection, but also the use of VR and mixed reality. As we heard last year, the military is increasingly looking to train and update in the field, so VR, which may involve smaller and simpler set-ups that are easy to move to where the trainees are, are increasingly becoming popular. However, they are still not seen as being close to the level really needed for the most immersive simulation. We have covered VR in our report in MDM and projection in LDM.
More and more sophisticated motion systems are available which can be combined with VR headsets to develop immersive experiences, however.
At ITEC, sophisticated motion systems are getting smaller and easier to move. Combined with VR, systems can be used to extend training. Image:Meko
In the full scale simulation side, Barco, a gold sponsor of the event and almost on its home turf, was present on a number of booths of partners. In fact, most of the booths at the show were manned by system integrators. There was plenty of projection, with discussions about the issues of warping and blending, which is needed for dome systems.
Next year, the show will move to Stuttgart from May 15th to 18th.
