Movie Tech to Help Train Sailors

Nov. 8, 2002 -- 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.

For example, visual effects tricks could help create a building that looks like a ship. Hidden loudspeakers would reproduce the sounds of a busy harbor, complete with screeching seagulls and crashing waves.

Meanwhile, a "storyline" would guide the recruits through different scenarios and test the various skills learned during their nine weeks of training at NTC.

Future recruits that enter a Battle Stations 21 simulation might start with a scenario that tests their skills at getting a ship underway in less than 20-minutes, for example. But as the simulation progresses, other events would be "triggered" — say a missile attack by hostile forces or an explosion that requires recruits to perform firefighting duties.

Smoke generators, strobe lights, wind machines and other Hollywood special effects machines would help create the needed atmosphere. It's almost like being the middle of the movie Pearl Harbor.

Ready in a Few Years?

Although the project is still in its infancy, i.d.e.a.s. recently received $1.4 million of Navy research money to begin fleshing out the Battle Stations 21 storyline and examine some of the Hollywood techniques that could be brought to bear to the task.

Officials at i.d.e.a.s. were unavailable for comment about the project. But Street says he is confident that a comprehensive Battle Stations 21 proposal could be completed by next June.

If the project goes forward from there, Navy officials say the military branch is prepared to invest up to $60 million in developing a Battle Stations 21 facility which could be completed at the Great Lakes training center by the end of 2004.