Virtual Reality Tech to Be Applied Against New Threat

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While nuclear weapons and their hazards are well known, radiological weapons somewhat less so. Radiological weapons are designed to disperse highly dangerous and even lethal radioactivity over a wide area. A combination of plutonium and high explosives in a backpack or truck bomb, for example, would scatter radioactive debris over a wide area.

Unprotected persons caught in the blast could be exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity, leading to radiation sickness or cancer. A contaminated zone could remain dangerous even for years, according to popularmechanics.com.

Military physical training is expensive and time-consuming, but through virtual reality (VR), troops can run through more exercises more frequently and at a lower cost. The U.S. Department of Defense is considering using VR technology to train military personnel who might someday come up against dirty bombs and other radioactive weapons. 

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is seeking information on virtual reality training systems that would allow troops to rehearse different scenarios involving “radiological threats.” The agency, which focuses on countering weapons of mass destruction, could one day use the tech to train troops to intercept radiological weapons on the battlefield, respond to radioactive contamination and even prepare for full-fledged nuclear war.

While virtual and augmented platforms wouldn’t entirely replace the agency’s current training regimen, they would expose troops to more training exercises than they could ever experience in the real world. 

Under DTRA solicitation, officials are looking for industry to outline their own virtual reality platforms, the hardware required to use them and how environments can be modified to accommodate new exercises.

The solicitation calls for a virtual reality or augmented reality system designed to simulate “operating in a battlefield nuclear warfare (BNW) environment, or performing radiological threat objects find and interdict operations.” “Radiological/nuclear considerations may include,” the solicitation also notes, “everything from point radiation sources, area contamination, and nuclear weapon detonation.”

According to nextgov.com, this wouldn’t be the first time the Pentagon turned to virtual platforms to train troops for real-world scenarios. Last year, Microsoft won a $480 million contract with the Army to adapt its HoloLens augmented reality headsets for use in military training and combat operations. The headsets would be outfitted with artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities, and provide troops with “increased lethality, mobility, and situational awareness.”