Training Effectiveness Evaluation for Virtual Technologies and Environments (VIRTE)

 

James Templeman

Immersive Simulation Lab

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

 

 

The goal of VIRTE Demonstration 2 is to created a fully immersive simulator for training Marines in Close Quarters Battle (CQB) for Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain (MOUT).  The system will support the real-time interaction of small infantry teams as they move and operate within a shared virtual environment.  The simulator will enable Marines to practice techniques and team coordination to enhance their tactical expertise.  Textbook concepts like the effectiveness of fire and movement, cover and concealment, and overlapping fields of fire can be experienced firsthand under a variety of conditions.  The research team developing the simulator includes performers from universities, military labs, and industry.

 

 

Brief Biography:

 

Dr. James Templeman leads the Immersive Simulation Lab at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and is engaged in both basic and exploratory research to create user interfaces for interacting in natural ways with 3D virtual environments.  Dr. Templeman is an expert in human-computer interaction, controls for virtual environments, visual perception, and software architecture for interactive computer graphics.  He invented a virtual locomotion control named Gaiter, which allows a person to move in a natural way through a virtual world.  He has eighteen years of experience in developing human computer interfaces, including ten years at NRL and eight in the commercial sector.  He received his doctorate in Computer Science from the George Washington University, with minors in perceptual psychology and neuroscience.  He currently serves on the editorial board of Presence and is the technical manager of the Office of Naval Research's VIRTE (Virtual Technologies and Environments) Demonstration 2 Project.