Norwegian Company Develops VR Goggles To Train Ukraine Tank Crews

Fynd Reality photo

LILLESTRøM, Norway — A small Norwegian startup has been able to contribute to Ukraine’s defense against its Russian aggressor by training its tank crews with virtual reality goggles.

Norwegian Defense University College contracted with Fynd Reality to provide goggles that are helping train newly recruited crews of the numerous Leopard 2A4 battle tank variations that have been donated to the war-torn nation by Norway and other NATO nations.

Kristine Kvam, the company’s chief technology officer, said there were several benefits of using VR for training in Ukraine, including keeping precious tanks in the field instead of being used for training, the realism it provides over PowerPoint presentations and the fact that motor memory is one of the best ways to learn how to operate a machine.

“We had to create something that didn’t require Ukrainian end users to have to do programming. We had to make something that was visual and simple but also covers all the things that the battle tank crew needs,” she said in a presentation at the IT2EC trade show near Oslo, Norway.

“We had to create this from the ground up as a 3D model based on scans, some pictures, videos and manuals. It took some time,” she said.

It needed to be simple to use because — along with Norway — Germany, the Netherlands and Poland have all donated their variations of the Leopard to the Ukraine. The goggles were also part of Norway’s donation in military aid to Ukraine.

The software resides on a secure, cloud-based system so users can access the training anywhere and anytime. That, however, was one of the complications because of Norway’s export rules.

“Whenever you say ‘cloud’ and ‘export’ to countries at war, there are a lot of scared faces,” she noted. The program includes robust encryption so the software can’t be tampered with, she added.

Then there were language issues. But Fynd did have a little luck in that department. Just when it won the contract, a Ukrainian refugee who had just received her degree in graphic design applied for a job there, she said.

“She’s been the engine for the whole development,” Kvam said. ND

Topics: Global Defense Market, International