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Augmented and Virtual Reality Transforming Defence Industry

CIO Review Europe | Tuesday, April 11, 2023

To remain competitive, defence industries across the world are constantly striving to optimise operations using new technologies, and demand for AR/VR technology is increasing every day.

FREMONT, CA: Leveraging the most cutting-edge digital technologies in the defence industry is crucial for preserving a competitive edge in military conflicts. Many countries have long used digital defence technology and continue to adopt the latest digital solutions, especially with regard to streamlining training and operational preparedness procedures. The need for safe and secure digital, virtual, and remote solutions has increased since the global pandemic began.

The legacy technology that is still widely used in the defence industry for operational readiness and training costs a lot to develop and maintain, is often risky, and is immobile. Defence departments now need technology that is more adaptable, portable, quickly updated, and deployable wherever and whenever necessary. Military training simulations and operational solutions can be developed using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies that are more effective and contextual.

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Unlike AR, which uses spatial awareness technology to let users superimpose digital content such as blueprints or instructions over actual things, VR offers an immersive user experience. Extended reality (XR), which combines AR and VR, has the potential to fundamentally alter the way that members of the armed services access information, formulate mission strategies, and carry out crucial operations.

How AR and VR Impact the Defence Industry?

Multiple defence organisations are focused on employing XR technology in four key categories, like military training, indoor and outdoor navigation, situational awareness, and operational readiness.

Military Training

Traditional military training may be time-consuming and expensive, and it frequently cannot be performed in high-stress or high-risk situations. It is particularly difficult to conduct training in areas of active warfare and calls for heightened situational awareness and quick reactions to enemy movements. AR and VR technology offer numerous new potentials to improve existing military training systems, whether on base or in action.

By leveraging XR technologies, soldiers can have life-like combat experience anywhere. AR and VR remote collaboration technology can be used to educate tactical mission planning abilities. AR and VR can also improve students' situational awareness in any training environment. An AR simulator can be used to produce a plethora of operational situations, training soldiers for diverse weather conditions and geographic regions both before and after deployment.

Bomb disposal teams can practice neutralising explosives of various colours, types, forms, and configurations with the use of XR training programs. Additionally, sand table exercises can be replicated using AR and VR, which can enhance tactical judgment, battlefield visualisation, and overall engagement efficacy.

In addition, VR-based training can be created to teach medical professionals how to administer combat first aid, cover bullet removal techniques, or treat wounds and injuries in high-pressure situations. It is also possible to create aircraft and vehicle simulations based on AR and VR. Without access to real vehicles, military recruits can learn how to control ground transport, fly aeroplanes, and operate submarines. By simulating real-life combat situations with lower cost and lower risk, AR and VR technologies can disrupt traditional defence training to offer a more intuitive and immersive experience.

Indoor and Outdoor Navigation

To maintain force control, deliver joint operational strategy, order joint fire, or coordinate with other forces to carry out the operation with the least amount of risk, military personnel in modern combat need to be aware of soldiers' precise whereabouts. Traditionally, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as GPS, is used. This works well for outdoor navigation. However, indoor navigation technology is crucial for operations where workers must move through confined areas like buildings. 

Using XR technology, precise positioning in indoor navigation can be accomplished by building a 3D point cloud using maps and GPS coordinates and visually identifying objects. An individual soldier's current location and orientation can be ascertained using the camera and inertial sensor on a mobile device to track the 3D point and device orientation. Military troops can also benefit from AR-based navigation directions that include both visual and aural cues to assist them to complete the mission effectively. Accuracy, cost, and the range and comfort of devices on which they can be used are all factors that will determine how widely this technology is used.

Situational Awareness

Military personnel can be remotely guided by an expert during active combat conflicts. The soldier makes quick, strategic decisions in a circumstance with XR technology. To further improve field and distant collaboration, XR can also make it possible to collect 3D footage and do 3D mapping and measuring in real time.

Operational Readiness

Operational preparedness is essential for mission success in defence. Before and during operations, maintaining complex and expensive military systems and equipment presents a unique and enduring problem. Getting the proper specialist on the field at the right moment is challenging during a conflict if equipment malfunctions or systems go down, putting the entire operation in danger.

Military personnel can simply obtain step-by-step instructions to carry out the maintenance and repair with the use of remote expert solutions using AR technology. To identify the component elements and sub-components of the asset, computer vision technology is applied. The information is then superimposed on top of the user's camera view through AR. To assist with the task, experts can also see what the field workers observe and communicate through speech, annotation, and hologram material. In addition to saving time, this also lowers repair costs and lowers operating risk.

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