Compound is a virtual team building game developed for the Air University's Squadron
Officer College, Virtual World Activities. Students learn how to lead a team, how to
best delegate and communicate tasks and how to work together to analyze and adapt
to the situation; making decisions to accomplish a mission. Trainees must be able to
communicate effectively with one another and to their Navigator who is the only person
with access to the map showing the location of mines.
In a situation which requires careful consideration, critical thinkers establish a goal,
recognize and analyze assumptions, reflect on all the information, take action, and
evaluate the result of their action to ensure adaptability. It features a scenario that
monitors the spread of a virus through a city while participants have the opportunity to
work together to combat the virus or to focus on their own challenges independent of
their neighbors.
The Data Detectives School focuses on the critical thinking skills needed to reason
about the world and/or a particular environment. The skills taught in the tutorial
stations include how to evaluate data, graphs, comparisons, generalizations, and cause
and effect. After learning the concepts, the case study provides the learner with an
opportunity to use data collected to determine whether the fictional town of New London
would be an appropriate location to launch a new product.
To reap the full potential and benefits of an immersive environment, the user must
be able to intuitively interact with the application so that their state of immersion is
not inhibited. This solution explores the use of the low cost, commercial of the shelf
(COTS) motion capture system, Microsoft Kinect linked to the free Unreal Development
Kit (UDK). The result is a method for the user to easily move through a virtual
environment that feels natural and is easy to learn and adapt to.
The Analyst Situation Room is a virtual reality immersive environment. Navigation and
interactions are achieved using the brain (cognitive, emotional, facial gestures), voice,
and body movements. The devices used cost less than $600 and include the Emotiv
Brain Computer Interface and Microsoft’s Kinect and Zephyr for voice.
The demonstration allows a user to have full functionality in the 3D space without
using a traditional mouse and keyboard. The goal for this project was to create a way
for people to interact within virtual worlds in a new and exciting way. This goal is met
through the implementation of the motion-sensing Microsoft Kinect and the use of the
Dance-Dance-Revolution (DDR) pad for movement.About Federal Virtual Challenge in general:
The Federal Virtual Challenge, led by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory -
Simulation & Training Technology Center (STTC), is an open, global challenge to the
world for the most innovative interactive implementations as demonstrated in/or with a
virtual environment. If there are questions, please contact fvwc.sttc@us.army.mil.
The Federal Virtual Challenge is an open, global Challenge to the world for the best implementations as demonstrated in/or with a virtual environment. The Challenge is an annual event led by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory – Simulation & Training Technology Center (STTC). The event is conducted to explore innovative and interactive solutions in virtual environments. The criteria are intentionally unbounded to encourage creative results.
The benefits of entering the challenge include the potential to receive award money, travel, recognition, and an opportunity to advertise your capabilities to an interested audience.
About FVC 2013 focus areas:
There are two focus areas for the 2013 Federal Virtual Challenge described below.
Critical Thinking/Adaptability:
As training and educational systems mature, it is becoming clear that learners benefit from the development of various skills that are not built through rote learning. In a complex world, making the best choice is often dependent on the ability to use critical thinking skills to understand the problem and potential solutions. At the same time, what may have worked in the past may not be the best strategy as situations change making adaptive thinking another essential tool.
This focus area explores efforts to build critical thinking and adaptability in immersive environments. For a description of what is meant by critical thinking and adaptability please go to this link. The goal is for entries to demonstrate the use of a virtual environment to build these skills, and measure learners’ progress.
Navigation interface into a Virtual Environment:
This focus area is an exploration of how the interface into an immersive environment can be improved for the purpose of navigation. This must be done using low-cost material. The cost of material for each user should be no more than $600 USD (not counting computing platform and monitor). Functionality should include the ability to run, walk and stop at will. Crouching, crawling, jumping, climbing and gesturing action are encouraged. This must be done within a 10 ft x 10 ft (3m x 3m) space. The goal is to allow multiple users (greater than two) to function within an immersive environment. This may mean multiple players tracked within the same space or players tracked in different locations experiencing the immersive space together.
The entry will be recreated at the STTC Labs to evaluate functionality. All intellectual property remains with the submitter.