EMERGENCY FIRE INCIDENT TRAINING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
Julie Dugdale, Bernard Pavard, Nico Pallamin, Mehdi El Jed, Laurent Maugan · 2004
Abstract: The effectiveness of ‘close to reality ’ training simulations is due to the fact that they provide a sense of immersion and allow several participants to interact naturally. However, they are expensive, time-consuming, difficult to organise and have a limited scope. We present a virtual reality training simulator which overcomes these disadvantages. We describe the approach and methodology and conclude with a discussion of the most crucial challenges when developing such a system. In this paper we would like to introduce the notion of cultural technologies which produce a sense of social as well as cultural immersion. We will discuss the main ingredients of such an immersion, in particular the notion of situated virtual interaction (how interactions in a virtual world can be comparable with human interactions in real situations). We also discuss on the role of interfaces (real time motion capture) and emotional expression in the design of such environments. 1