Movie Tech to Help Train Sailors
Nov. 8 -- War is hell. And so is training for one.
Of course, "boot camp" isn't suppose to be a walk in the park. By mimicking the harsh realities of combat — the noise, the smell, the sights, the mental and physical stresses — as accurately as possible during training, recruits will know how to react when the "real thing" comes along, say military instructors.
But the U.S. Navy has extra challenges when it comes to training recruits. Besides the perils of combat, sailors must be trained to deal with any danger that could threaten their ship — and lives of crew mates — anytime while at sea. A fire from accidentally spilled fuel, for example, could sink a ship as readily as an enemy torpedo.
That means naval recruits have much to learn during their nine weeks of boot camp at the Naval Training Center (NTC) in Great Lakes, Ill. And to really help cement that training into sailors, the Navy is looking for a bit of high-tech help from a special effects firm called i.d.e.a.s. — Innovation, Design, Entertainment, Art and Storytelling.
The Navy recently contracted i.d.e.a.s., based at (but independent from) the Walt Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Fla., to help plan for an advanced virtual reality training and testing "update" called Battle Stations 21.
First developed nearly five years ago, Battle Stations is a series of 12 scenarios, or "evolutions," that all recruits must face in a single night at the end of their training at the NTC. Each evolution, from "abandoning ship" to "treating mass casualties," is based on a real-life U.S. Navy tragedy such as the sinking of the USS Indianapolis by the Japanese in July 1945 during WWII.
From Theme Park to Training Center
But Lt. Cmdr. David Street, a science officer at the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Va., says that the idea of Battle Stations 21 is to create a training site and program that produces an immersive experience — much like a haunted house attraction ride found at many theme parks.
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