Detailed Simulation Greatly Improves Training

Project Overview

There are a variety of limiting factors with traditional hands-on equipment training. Most pieces of equipment are not built for the constant repetition required in a classroom or hands-on training environment. In most cases, the number of students exceeds the available equipment — so training is often done in stages rather than in sequence. In addition, valuable and strategic training time is often restricted by the setup and tear-down time. Weather delays are a continual problem for in-the-field, hands-on training. The use of hazardous chemicals and disposal are of real concern as well as the filling and phasing on and off of various component systems such as hydraulics or tank fills. These are all issues that limit the actual training time.

By creating an exact duplication of the actual system or process, the Guild Training Simulator sets a new standard in equipment training. The Guild Training Simulator — engineered to the exact specifications of the original piece of equipment — gives both the instructor and trainee virtual product accessibility where they can gain hands-on experience before they ever activate a switch.

This project runs two clients that act as one training simulator over two PCs with one gateway. We also have two applications on the system, which can be switched between using a VBA program that was custom-made.

The training simulators allow for easier training for the military. Training is no longer restricted by weather or limitations of equipment. The system is also portable and can be loaded on any PC. This will make training more effective for a larger audience. Training is now more efficient and less costly. It’s portable and easy to use.

Other departments in the Army are interested in this type of training. Also, a maintenance mode is being considered, with an emphasis on how to troubleshoot hardware issues. There is also a possibility of applying this type of simulated training to other industries where training is needed.