Firefighters are now training with intense haptic VR vests

VR has a really solid use case in the training field. Now, HTC has taken it a step further with the integration of haptic heat vests for firefighting training.

Firefighting is a dangerous profession. Even a small mistake in a real emergency can get you killed. This is why firefighters rely on vigorous and frequent training to keep their skills sharp.

Even training can be dangerous, however. So to provide safe and cost-effective training, HTC has devised a VR fire safety program.

A journalist from UploadVR describes a visit to the Fire Service College in the UK where he was introduced to a couple of different training experiences. One of which involved investigating the cause of a kitchen fire.

The second experience involved a unique piece of equipment. The FLAIM Trainer haptic vest was designed to create an increased sense of realism by simulating heat when moving closer to a virtual heat source.

Most haptic equipment, including haptic vests from the likes of OWO try and simulate the sensation of being hit by a bullet or sword. The FLAIM vest, however, provides a realistic feeling of heat.

UploadVR reporter Henry Stockdale described the sensation: “I could feel the heat as I tried containing this threat even on the lower heat settings, signaling danger effectively without the risk of breathing in toxic smoke.”

Accompanying the haptic vest is a fire hose accessory. This functions like a real fire hose, it has a twisting nozzle for different spray types and a handle for water flow. The hose also delivers force feedback to replicate the feel of the flowing water kicking back when spraying the fires.

The virtual firefighting training was conducted using a HTC Vive Pro. This is a slightly older headset but has some features that are valuable for conducting training, such as high visual fidelity and eye-tracking.

The combination of VR with realistic accessories such as the haptic heat vest has interesting implications for how education and training could develop in the future.