Tactical Virtual Sim for First Responders – FBI

VirtSim is a motion capture technology that is a three-dimensional technical simulator uses wireless and motion-capture technology. Many first person shooting games use similar technology to capture a character movement as seen in games like Halo, First Strike and Battle Field.

Creator of VirtSim – Motion Reality, Inc. has applied this technology to the military and law enforcement first responders. This program provides tactical environment with infinite of scenarios based on actual incident data.

Currently, the FBI has added this curriculum to their handgun and tactics training. The training places agents into a virtual world that is mod with any type of background or settings. Teams can interact in simple residential area to urban torn Iraq. Scenarios can be to clear a house, building or shipyard. Trainees can go through a scenario in solo or up to 12. Take it one step further you can enter buildings to maneuver through hallways, stairwells, rooms and basements.

Each participant wears the following markers over devices so data can be captured and rendered onto a screen from cameras located throughout the training area.
Gear Kit are markers that go over the head shoulder arms and legs.
Replica Rifle – provides realism, weight, dimensions, recoil and limit rounds available.
Replica Handgun – replicates actual weight, recoil and rounds capacity.

Debrief
Debriefing from a training session is a great way to review and assess which parts needs more training. With VirtSim technology, debriefing goes one step further into video recording the entire sessions including individual trainee’s movement. At the team level you can monitor trainees line of sight area or responsibilities, assess use of cover or lack of and down to the number of rounds fired. This type of training allows officers or operators to utilize sound tactics based on situation.

FBI Painful Experiences
The FBI decision to incorporate this type of training is the result of mishaps the FBI experienced involving shootouts with the bad guys. Through numerous reports all shooting incidents occurred at close quarter within 10 feet and 65% of the agents missed their target.

These statistics confirms a need to change their handgun shooting tactics and the perspective on training for real fighting at close quarter. Throwing out the old belief of, if you can hit a target at 25 yards you can hit anything at less than 10 feet. This implementation is instated at every level from local to regional on up to even the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) level.

VirtSim helps the FBI in getting their agents to be more tactically sound and proficient in any type of environment that they may encounter.