"The Higher Standard in Firearms Training Simulators"

Law Enforcement Firearms Training FAQ

Table of Contents

Why is training realism so important?

One critical component of a quality training simulator is the ‘realism’ it provides. Real-world performance is often directly related to the realism and intensity of training. Said another way, the more realistic the training exercise, the more skills are transferable to a real-world situation.

One of VirTra’s primary missions is to make simulated training as realistic as humanly possible. VirTra goes to great lengths to recreate the real world in the simulator: from incredibly realistic 3D audio and special effects to realistic recoil training firearms and shoot back capabilities – just to name a few.

VirTra’s attention to detail and higher standard for realism in simulation training leads to improved real-world skills for the trainees. Below is a chart that graphically shows the expected normal value relationship between simulation realism and real-world improvement.

VirTraCompanyNew-WebsiteLaw-EnforcementIVR-300Simulation-Realism-Graph

What are the differences between a live fire range and a simulator?

VirTra considers live fire range training to be irreplaceable in the process of firearm training. However, firearm training simulators are now able to greatly compliment the training on a live fire range. VirTra provides a long list of recoil kits for various model firearms which permits realistic operation of the firearm with good recoil, but without a live bullet traveling downrange. The lack of a live round enables entirely new ways to train.

The addition of a firearm simulator provides:

  1. Judgment training - Advanced judgment or critical thinking skills (decision-making is required as to if/when you shoot or with what level of force you should use).

  2. Threats during training - The stress or nerviness receiving return fire can be safely simulated with Threat-Fire™ in the simulator. In fact, many times an officer doesn’t even know there is a threat until they feel an impact on their bullet-proof vest. This cannot be implemented on the range.

  3. 360-degree training – Due to the safety requirements, officers are encouraged to focus directly in front of them at the range, instead of monitoring 360-degrees around them at all times. In a real-world engagement, an officer often must shoot in a different direction, shoot off-balance, instantly spin 300 degrees to look for the threat, etc. This cannot be implemented on the range.

  4. Psychological preparation – It is unnatural for most people to shoot another human. Shooting at paper targets does not mentally prepare an officer to engage live targets. Unfortunately, given the correct situation, an officer must be psychologically prepared to immediately take the life of another human. This is difficult or impossible to accomplish on a range.

  5. Moving target – Many times, an officer must shoot at a moving human target. This is a difficult skill to acquire and demands repeat practice. Expensive and problematic to do at a range.

  6. Safety – The use of live ammunition requires extensive safety requirements that reduce the ability of real-world training on a range.

  7. Cost and access – Live ammunition is expensive and at times live ammunition is not even available due to worldwide shortages out of your control.

  8. Environmental agency – Many shooting ranges are closed every year due to environmental concerns; with a simulator there is zero environmental impact, zero lead in the air, zero chance of shutting down training.

  9. Operation – An indoor firearm simulator can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of weather.

What is 360 degree training?

The next real-world engagement will most certainly occur in our 360-degree world. Many report that the first time they realized they were in a battle for their life was when they felt a bullet impacting the Kevlar on their back or sides, which is simulated with the Threat-Fire device. When training on a single-screen simulator, the officer never has to turn 90 degrees to face a potential threat. A single-screen simulator also reinforces tunnel vision, as only a small portion of the 360-degree world is even available for training. Of course, it is not safe to practice 360-degree training with multiple participants on a live fire range. It is critical for survival to maintain situational awareness throughout a real engagement, but this takes situational awareness training and practice on a multi-screen video simulator, such as the VirTra 180 LE or VirTra 300 LE simulator.

virTraCompanyNew-websiteLaw-EnforcementIVR-300Simulator-Realism-Comparison

Why does VirTra use both video and CGI for scenarios?

Video-CGI-Zones

For simulated training exercises to be realistic and have valid psychological impact, the trainee must consider the people in the scenario to be ‘human.’ The human brain is exceptional at detecting a ‘fake’ person when they are closer than about 30 meters (100 feet). The look and movement of people is perfectly captured by high-quality video, but CGI creates ‘approximations’ of people. Even with the latest CGI technology, ‘generated’ CGI humans do not look and move like real people when viewing them at distances closer than about 30 meters (100 feet).

Video-vs-CGI

When dealing with potential threats at closer ranges, military and law enforcement personnel use body language, the look in their eyes, and subtle movements to make split-second life-and-death decisions – this is usually best simulated using actors and high-resolution video. VirTra is uniquely equipped to use high-resolution video or CGI based on what is best suited to the customer's requirements. Generally speaking, most customers prefer the realism of humans using high-resolution video for closer than 30 meters (100 feet) but do accept either video or CGI scenarios for simulation of humans encountered beyond 30 meters (100 feet).

Does "3D" help or hurt firearms training?

The term '3D' is all the buzz these days, as the consumer electronic behemoth is pushing 3D as the next 'must have' upgrade for your television. The 3D movement is really about 'stereoscopic 3D,' or 'stereopsis,' where each eye receives a slightly different image to create relative depth perception. For decades, the entertainment industry has used the 3D effect as a gimmick to dazzle consumers in theme park rides and movies.

However, stereoscopic 3D is strongest and most important at near distances where man uses accurate hand-eye coordination to make tools or grab prey, so what movie companies do is push beyond real-world 3D into a realm of exaggerated hyper-stereoscopic 3D effect so they can elicit an emotional response, a 'wow' from the audience. Normally, if you saw someone 3 meters in front of you, they would not 'jump' out at you, but by introducing hyper-stereoscopic 3D, all of a sudden the person unnaturally 'pops' off the screen. Of course, hyper-stereoscopic 3D is the exact opposite of the realism required for accurate firearms simulation; trainees should feel like the simulation is 'real' (not artificially exaggerated for dramatic effect). In fact, if you 'notice' the 3D effect on a firearms training simulator, it is probably because the 3D has been exaggerated beyond the real-world in hopes of dazzling a potential customer.

However, stereoscopic 3D plays almost no role in our ability to determine depth at normal firearm distances. There are many one-eyed (monocular) depth perception cues that allow us to make accurate depth judgments. These monocular depth perception cues are very familiar and include perspective, overlay, shadowing, relative motion, relative size, etc. The very minor impact of stereoscopic 3D also explains why people who have lost vision in one eye are able to match the firearm proficiency performance of people with both eyes functioning. At distances used in firearms training, the 3D effect has no impact on training effectiveness; some even consider it a dangerous gimmick as it requires the trainee to wear glasses they don't normally wear and some companies exaggerate the 3D effect which actually reduces training effectiveness. In fact, firearm training sight picture requires the trainee to use their dominate eye so they can properly align the firearm to the target. Thus, aiming a firearm is inherently a monocular (not 3D) activity (see image below).

LE-3D-image

As the picture above shows, proper sight picture requires only one eye; 3D effect is more a gimmick than a firearms training aid.

While the 3D stereoscopic effect can create an exaggerated 'pop out of the screen' in an entertainment setting, it has not been shown to increase real-world skill development with firearms and 3D may actually hurt firearms training.

Providing a 3D effect and requiring trainees to wear special glasses is far more of a gimmick than a serious training tool, and, in fact, by adding 3D glasses to each trainee, actually produces NEGATIVE training.

If firearm training realism is the goal, the following items are more critical than the 3D effect:

  1. Situational awareness – trainees should practice situational awareness and turning to engage a moving target requires practice on a multi-screen simulator
  2. Performance under pressure – Threat-Fire™ shoot-back system applies REAL stress during simulation
  3. Firearms with recoil kits – the training firearm should weigh and behave identical to a real firearm

Comparison of return fire cannon to Threat-Fire™

One important item to many trainers is the ability to induce some anxiety, nervousness, and fear into the trainees. If a trainee knows they will feel pain during the simulation if they make a mistake, they will approach training with greater seriousness. There are two main types of shoot-back systems on the market: shoot-back cannons and Threat-Fire.

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A. Threat-Fire shoot-back device

In early 2005, VirTra introduced an entirely new approach to shoot-back with the Threat-Fire™. The concept was to eliminate the disadvantages of the shoot-back cannon, while preserving the advantages and adding further advantages. The Threat-Fire belt is a wireless device normally worn around the mid-section and provides a momentary shock that feels like a rubber-band snap on the low level, but closely resembles the initial pain of a bullet shot on a medium level. There is also a vibration-only version available. On the high level (2.5 seconds), Threat-Fire™ can simulate a ‘man-down’ with temporary incapacitation. The system is extremely user friendly, running on an internal rechargeable battery pack that is easily charged (no balls to clean-up, no safety goggles, no aiming required).

The Threat-Fire™ device can be combined with the TMaR system. TMaR (Trainee Monitoring and Recording) permits the instructor to monitor and record the trainee from the vantage point of a camera mounted in the training area. The instructor can then monitor the trainee and if they do not seek cover, he can activate the Threat-Fire device. If the trainee disagrees, the instructor can replay the scenario on the monitor. The instructor can also group trainees, so if a two-man team makes an error, both trainees can receive simulated return fire simultaneously (since either could be hit in the real world).

The advantages of this method are as follows:
  1. Creates anxiety and fear in the trainee
  2. Instructor can hit one or more trainees simultaneously
  3. Trainee has no room to argue with instructor (with TMaR system)
  4. Instructor can vary the intensity (from slight pain to considerable pain, or vibration version)
  5. Very user friendly and easy to operate (no balls to clean up continually)
  6. No aiming required
  7. No safety goggles required
  8. No need to pick up balls off the floor day after day

 

VirTra has been awarded a patent on this device and is the only company offering this device which integrates with a firearms training simulator.

B. Shoot-back cannons

First introduced in 1999, these devices launch a ball at the trainee at about 200 feet per second (basically a paintball gun on a tripod). The device’s main use is to train the officer to seek cover. If the officer does not seek cover, the instructor takes aim at the region above the knee cap and below the groin. The instructor avoids hitting the knee cap, shin, or groin, leaving a portion of the thigh as the hit zone. Ideally, trainees would leave their thigh exposed so the instructor can hit them in this ‘preferred’ area.

The advantages of this method are as follows:

  1. Creates anxiety and fear in the trainee

  2. If the trainee is hit by the ball, they realize they had exposure

The disadvantages of this method are as follows:

  1. Cannon shoots from only one direction, so it cannot simulate multiple hostiles or ambushes (ambushes killed more officers in 2009 than any other situation)

  2. Trainee must wear eye protection, which can affect shooting and their sight picture

  3. Instructors must monitor eye protection is worn by all present at all times

  4. Requires an instructor to carefully aim the cannon

  5. Instructor can miss the trainee or accidentally hit the trainee in a sensitive region (possible injury)

  6. Balls are a tripping hazard, so instructor must police the balls continually

  7. The preferred hit zone area is rather small

  8. Cannot simulate incapacitation of trainee

The shoot-back cannon is available for sale to all simulation companies (VirTra recommends the Threat-Fire™ device to its customers, but can supply shoot-back cannons when required). Another company does have a patent on a automatic tracking technique and adding a shoot-back video feed into the display of the simulation computer. These features seem to add only marginal value to the shoot-back cannon and do not negate any of the main disadvantages. When professionals compare the cannon shoot-back with the Threat-Fire™ wireless electric stun device, they consistently choose the Threat-Fire™. If you are unsure, VirTra recommends that you observe each type of return fire device in action before making a purchase.

What is VirTra's ballistic calculator accuracy?

VirTra's simulators come equipped with the finest exterior ballistics software on the market for marksmanship training. This software is being utilized by thousands of military and law enforcement agencies worldwide. It is also used by ammunition manufacturers.

In 1992, Dr. Oehler demonstrated the accuracy of the ballistic calculator using an ultrasonic sensor. Given a trial velocity and distance, one function of the ballistic calculator returns the position of the bullet at the target and the time of flight. Passing that time of flight along with the initial velocity near the muzzle, distance, and a trial ballistic coefficient of the bullet to another function returns the velocity at the target. The difference between the trial velocity and the calculated velocity at the target is used to correct the trial velocity for the next round of calculations. Also, the velocity near the muzzle, the time of flight, and the velocity at the target are used to calculate the ballistic coefficient of the bullet, which is also used in the next round. This reiteration continues until there’s no significant difference between the trial velocity and the calculated velocity. These trials proved out the ballistic calculator is accurate to about .001 cm, which is beyond the accuracy of all known firearms. Additional independent verification is also possible. The best evidence is to compare the ballistic calculator to Sierra’s published tables. Below is comparison between Sierra’s output with that of the ballistic calculator. As you can see, the values for velocity and path exactly match out to the maximum distance given in Sierra’s table. The load used for this example is a typical M16 load.

accuracy1

What are the ballistic calculator features?

With the ballistics software, you can calculate downrange data for virtually any load and set of conditions. Power and ease of use are the hallmark of the ballistics software. This software is integrated into VirTra’s software, so during normal operation all the capabilities are neatly hidden from the user. The ballistic calculator takes into account the following variables, which can be adjusted by the user:

  1. Air density
  2. Muzzle velocity
  3. Air temp
  4. Sight adjustment
  5. Zeroed range
  6. Range wind
  7. Vertical wind
  8. Altitude
  9. Barometric pressure
  10. Cross wind
  11. Humidity
  12. Projectile weight and balance
  13. Rifling and rotation direction
  14. Range slope
  15. Sight height

How does VirTra's tracking calibration work?

At the most basic level, a simulator is a combination of a projection on a screen (displaying a target) and a shot-detection camera (detecting a laser fired at the screen). Calibration is the process whereby the projected image is aligned with the shot detection camera.

One of the oldest approaches to calibration was to a 9 or 16 point approach. In this method, the user must shoot targets or walk up to the screen and position a wand on a dot on the screen, then walks back to click ‘next’ and does the next spot and continues until all dots have been completed. This has a number of problems:

  1. Accuracy is somewhat determined by how careful and meticulous the user is with positioning on each dot – which changes from person-to-person and from calibration to calibration.

  2. The computer, using the data with inaccuracies as described above, then ‘approximates’ or ‘guesses’ at the alignment of all other points on the screen. However, the only points the system has truly calibrated are those 16 spots where a human has tried to hold a wand in the correct position – with unknown and changing results each time.

  3. Not user friendly, must use wand on screen or use a simulated firearm as a mouse pointer.

  4. Accuracy becomes variable as it provides reasonably good tracking near the center of the screen, but is inaccurate for much of the screen space. Some companies compensate by having all scenarios keep the action in the very center of the screen so customers don’t notice the inaccuracy. However, this reinforces tunnel vision and lowers the level of challenge for all trainees. See real-world training.

  5. As the computer has no idea of where exactly the human positioned the wand, the system has no mathematical idea of accuracy; in other words, the wand could be off to the right of the calibration point and no one knows. Without numeric calibration data (and with variable accuracy as described above), the system is mathematically incapable of permitting verified marksmanship training. It can still be a helpful tool for marksmanship training, but to accurately qualify or to truly simulate an outdoor shooting range is technically unknown and mathematically out-of-reach for this approach.

To compound the accuracy problem, the older point-based calibration approach uses math to approximate all locations on the screen and it assumes the projector and camera are linear. This makes the mathematics much simpler, but at the cost of accuracy throughout the entire screen.

Below is an artistic rendering to visualize possible assumptions made by this point-based method; please note that as each company has their own proprietary formulas, this rendering may not be accurate to all point-based tracking methods.

16-point-grid

Below is an actual image taken from VirTra’s unique calibration process, which maps the entire projected surface to the entire active camera sensor. Yes, every pixel is accurately mapped, creating the most precise and automatic calibration method in the world.

VirTra-calib

Why do you need to calibrate every pixel? Well, each projector and camera is not only unique, but also surprisingly complex. Usually they are composed of several lens elements that modify the incoming or outgoing light. Instead of allowing for approximations with simple math, they are composed of multiple 3-dimensional lens in both the projector and the camera, especially as you move towards the sides. Below is a sample diagram of the lens for a common projector, which gives some idea of the complexity of the light path through just one component of a standard simulator.

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Even if it were possible to implement all the advanced mathematics needed to accurately calibrate the entire projected screen to the shot-detection camera with multiple lens, it is still best (as each camera and projector are slightly different) to use VirTra’s direct calibration. For VirTra’s calibration process, you simply remove the filter on the camera and then you click to have the computer start the calibration. The computer then automatically has the projector display a graphic that moves across the screen, while the camera detects the graphic the projector is displaying. It is basically that simple – no approximations or guessing, and no standing around with a wand or using a firearm to try to 'shoot' calibration targets. VirTra’s calibration has the following advantages:

  1. No human wand or other human-error prone approach is used.

  2. Easier for the operator (click a button) than manual calibration.

  3. Far higher accuracy across the entire screen as no ‘guessing’ or approximations are used in calibration.

  4. Often faster than other calibration methods.