TECHNOLOGY
‘SPECIAL FORCES’ OF SIMULATION BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE ELEVATES MILITARY TRAINING FROM GAMES TO REALITY
W
BY DIANE SEARS
arfighters preparing for what they might encounter in battle are turning more and more to virtual reality software that takes its cues from the video gaming industry. But what makes a video game exciting is not necessarily suitable for military training. That’s where Bohemia Interactive Simulations comes in, helping warfighters become familiar with different terrains and decision-making scenarios through “live” environments that are realistic. “The enemies don’t bounce around and jump off roofs with ninja stars being thrown at you,” said Arthur Alexion, the Orlando-based CEO for the company known as BISim. “They’re a little bit more normal in the way they behave. Let’s say you’re in a convoy with three Humvees, and the middle Humvee gets blown up by an IED (improvised explosive device). There’s a sniper up on the hill. How do you exit the vehicle? How do you communicate with each other? We have radio simulation as well as physical visual simulation.” Multiple users in various locations can train and
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communicate in real time in the same scenario, playing against each other as well as artificial intelligence (AI) units. The training can be modified for squads of 12, platoons of 30 or companies of 120. BISim’s collection of software products and services has grown over the company’s 15 years because of customers who say, “Hey, this software is great, but wouldn’t it be good if it could do this as well?” Today the company also provides pieces that can be integrated into other types of virtual training, such as the visuals for flight simulators, working with about 300 integrator
“WE FIND THAT PEOPLE HERE HAVE DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY, AND WE DON’T HAVE TO TRAIN EVERYBODY UP FROM SCRATCH.” — ARTHUR ALEXION, CEO, BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE SIMULATIONS
