There are many ways in which the armed forces such as the Army, the Navy and the Air force can use Virtual Reality to their advantage: from combat simulations through to medic training and even recruitment campaigns.

In the latter case, the British Army through Tonic Agency has used virtual reality to recruit potential soldiers from the 18 to 21-year-old group. They have used Maxbox VR’s virtual reality headsets which display interactive content.

It can also be very useful as training for battlefield situations, soldiers can highly benefit from being trained in dealing with being on the front line. Front line combat is a very demanding situation, as it requires very complex skills and techniques from the soldier, and most importantly staying alive.

Virtual Reality is a fantastic tool to teach soldiers how to survive in a high-pressure environment. This is done by creating virtual environments which are replicas of the combat zones soldiers will find themselves in.

This also enables them try out techniques taught in training and in a safe environment. They can be given a set of objectives which take place in a virtual environment where they are able to make mistakes but without causing harm to themselves or the rest of their platoon.

VR can also be used as a simulation tool for different army vehicles such as tanks or aircrafts. Soldiers can learn how to handle these vehicles, and how the vehicles will respond in all types of environments and weather conditions.

These simulators can be networked together to enable several soldiers to participate in complex training situations. This is useful in situations where there is a mix of new and experienced soldiers. The new recruits can learn techniques from the experienced soldiers via a virtual environment.

Here are some companies that have worked with VR:
Tonic Agency / UK Army