PHOTONIS
VR TRAINING SIMULATION

Training soldiers with night-vision equipment is expensive and hard to organise. Together with Photonis, Recreate developed a VR training simulation that recreates every condition (from lunar phase to weather and incoming light), so operators can practise anywhere, safely.

About Photonis

Photonis is a global market leader in developing luminance amplifiers for defence, aerospace and commercial applications. The company’s night-vision products are used in night-vision equipment and weapons systems, among other applications.

The challenge

Training soldiers in the land and air forces with night-vision equipment requires substantial investment. Photonis night vision must function across widely varying circumstances: different lunar phases, weather conditions, locations and light levels. Training for all of those situations simultaneously, and across multiple locations, was not feasible with traditional methods.

A VR training simulation for night vision

Recreate and Photonis jointly developed a virtual reality training simulation based on the HTC Vive headset. With it, operators practise realistic night-vision scenarios in dark combat situations: safely, repeatably and without the cost of field training.

Using Leap Motion technology, the simulation recreates all lunar phases, locations and weather influences, with a realistic image of the night vision. Even intense light effects such as explosions, and their impact on sight, are accurately simulated. This lets operators train with multiple night-vision products under any conceivable condition.