Recently, simulation technology has reached a variety of workplaces through technology portfolios like NVIDIA Omniverse, which supports warehouse simulation technologies, for example.
On the other hand, maritime professionals also leverage simulation technologies to identify issues and hurdles that may arise in a high-pressure environment. Electric Picture Display Systems is working to deploy simulation technology within this professional space to improve crew performance and training.
Electric Picture Display Systems delivers immersive simulation training technology to reduce human errors. The firm seeks to train maritime professionals such as watercraft operators, engineers, marine deck and engineering officers, cargo handlers, and operations crew members using RT3D simulations.
The Electric Picture solution creates a large-scale 360-projected recreation [known as a spherical simulator display] of real-world scenarios that a team navigates using the physical reception of a vessel. The 3D simulation works alongside the physical training space to simulate situations, environments, and weather conditions.
R.P. Higgins, the President of Electric Picture, added “in the maritime and aviation industries, rigorous training is essential.” According to Electric Picture, some primary error causes include inadequate crew training, fatigue, and poor decision-making. The firm’s training solutions aim to solve these pain points.
Electric Picture’s simulation training technology recreates realistic situations and allows instructors to create scenarios with unexpected threats or technical issues, promoting adaptability across a maritime team.
Higgins explained:
Training programs, both commercial and military, cover various emergency scenarios, including fires, hostile attacks, and power failures. These scenarios are extensively rehearsed in maritime training to ensure preparedness for any situation.
Partnering with Scalable Display Technologies for RT3D Rendering
Electric Picture is working alongside partners Scalable Display Technologies to secure the technology behind the 360 3D simulation projections. Since 2011, the partnership has allowed maritime mentors to display training situations around a learner with multiple automatically calibrated projectors.
Higgins added:
Creating a sense of reality in simulation is essential, and Scalable Display Technologies does a fantastic job with its software by correcting all the geometry. Accurate geometry is crucial; for example, when someone on a ship commands a 33-degree turn to starboard. It must be precise to avoid running aground. These critical skills are honed in a simulator. Scalable’s ability to eliminate blend zones and create seamless visuals enhances this sense of reality.
Scalable Display Technologies’ “unique edge blending and colour matching software stands out because it produces artefact-free, uniform colourimetry and seamless transitions between images,” remarked Higgins. Who also explained that “in a 360-degree display, all channels look the same, unlike poorly blended displays, which can resemble a patchwork quilt with visible separation between channels.”
Higgins also added:
From a partnership perspective, Scalable has proven reliable and consistent over our 14-year relationship. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses allows us to manage installations efficiently without costly learning curves. Their technicians, who we typically use on-site, are knowledgeable, personable, and maintain good relationships with our customers. Importantly, Scalable respects its partners and does not attempt to bypass us to deal directly with customers, a rare quality in today’s market.
Moreover, Scalable Display Technologies leverages machine vision, enabling a user-friendly system that automatically calibrates images’ colour, intensity, and geometry across multiple projectors to create a single immersive digital display.
While the simulation solution is currently used in maritime situations, Scalable Display Technologies has applications in other sectors, such as higher education, virtual production, design and architecture, and museums.