Simulations

An immersive education summit is an event that takes place every year and is basically a conference, with many speakers where they discuss the impact that certain kinds of technology are having, and how they can be expanded. Topics covered feature all state of the art technologies such as wearable computers and 3D printing. Learn more at http://summit.immersiveeducation.org/

Here are two highlight screenshots which show in more detail what this conference is, and more specifically who and what universities are involved, because I could not remember them all. Some of my favorite topics discussed are Google Glass, 3D printing, personal robotics, and virtual currencies. The subject of this post is virtual simulations. This kind of technology is used frequently in flight schools, whether for military purposes or for companies like Boeing transporting civilians.

 One popular use of simulation technology, more specifically flight simulation is for the United States Air Force, as well as other countries air forces in hopes to someday mimic the USAF. Shown to the left is a pilot training in a flight simulator, which is more or less a giant computer that accounts for (nearly) every variable a pilot might face in the sky. Training on simulators like this, although extremely expensive, are nothing compared to the cost of an average military plane, who's price tags sometimes reach into the billions.

This flight simulator is similar to the one shown above, but used for a completely different purpose. Instead of an air force flight simulator teaching combat training at speeds sometimes exceeding Mach 3, this simulator which I found on boeing.com is used to train pilots for commercial flights. Trainees sit down, and fly a nice, long, boring virtual flight for hours upon hours. May sound a bit tedious, but it is necessary to be able to transport the public.

Simulation training is not only limited to aircraft and pilots. In the picture shown here, we see nurses practicing a procedure that may need to be done on a baby in the future on a small doll. This kind of training is also taken very seriously, and the same equipment that would be used to operate on an actual baby is used to operate on a doll.





Below is a video of a flight simulation, and some of the variables that come along in doing so. The simulation is incredibly realistic, even having changes in weather happening around the "plane" and gauges that respond accordingly, exactly as they would in the real world.