Image credit: Boeing
Serious Games Helping Astronauts Learn How To Dock With The Space Station
Following my August post VR
Serious Game Could Define The Future Of Astronaut Training, dedicated to the Australian VR gaming studio who created
the Serious Game Earthlight, Mashable reported last week that Boeing
has now hired Opaque Space to help with
future capabilities on a VR training system the aerospace company has developed
for its forthcoming CST-100 Starliner capsule.
The spacecraft's primary function is to
transport NASA astronauts and other crew members to and from the International
Space Station.
The CST-100 Starliner virtual reality training
system will supplement the physical Starliner simulator, and is a low-cost
training method for astronauts. For Starliner, Boeing decided to look outside
its research and technology hub in Brisbane for inspiration.
"We wanted to expand our vision and
capabilities," Leighton Carr, Boeing research and technology engineer,
explained. "So we looked across the industry, looked at who was really
pushing the envelope and doing the best in virtual reality in Australia. We found
Opaque Space and contacted
them."
The CST-100 Starliner
virtual reality training system will initially help to instruct astronauts on
how to dock with the International Space Station in low-earth orbit, as well as
re-entry procedures for the spacecraft. VR can also be a useful tool for when
astronauts might not be living close enough to a physical simulator.
"Obviously astronauts
have to spend a long time on the ISS, six month stints up there, so the ability
to do training in virtual reality makes it possible to do that on the base
station and have them have a refresher course effectively the day before
re-entry," Carr said.
The Next Phase
Like the Serious Game Earthlight, this year’s winner of the 6th Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Australasia, the trainer uses Unreal Engine 4. The next generation of the CST-100 Starliner virtual reality training system will aim to increase the accuracy of the simulation, so that it matches the actual capsule itself.
The Next Phase
Like the Serious Game Earthlight, this year’s winner of the 6th Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Australasia, the trainer uses Unreal Engine 4. The next generation of the CST-100 Starliner virtual reality training system will aim to increase the accuracy of the simulation, so that it matches the actual capsule itself.
The project is "one
of many milestones" for the Serious Game Industry locally, and a chance to
show that VR can help with training people for extreme environments.
"What it means is
we'll start to see a surge in “Serious Games” being a focus of the Australian
industry,” said Emre Deniz, Opaque Space CEO and director.
PRESS RELEASE
Boeing Launches Australian-Based Space Research Initiatives
Boeing Introduces New Virtual Reality Trainer For Cst-100 Starliner, Announces Melbourne Space VR Company Opaque Space As New Supplier
ADELAIDE, September 26, 2017 - During the
International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, South Australia, Boeing announced
efforts by its Australian team to support the company’s global space and defense
business including its first virtual reality (VR) system developed by employees
outside the United States.
“Space exploration is a human endeavor that has
brought nations together, like we’ve seen with the International Space
Station,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing Space and Missile
Systems. “Having Boeing’s Australian team work together with our US team will
benefit NASA and the international space agencies it works with as well as the
Australian Defense Force.”
Boeing Australia’s first major space research
and development initiative on display at IAC 2017 is a virtual reality solution
developed in Brisbane that provides a high-resolution, interactive, real-time
simulation for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner capsule. Supplementing Boeing’s
physical Starliner simulator, the VR technology is a low-cost training
alternative for astronauts to familiarize themselves with operating Starliner
and perform training procedures including how to dock with the International
Space Station.
Boeing signed an agreement with Australian
space VR supplier, Opaque Space, a small enterprise in Melbourne. Opaque Space
will collaborate with Boeing’s Brisbane team on future virtual reality space
training scenarios for the Starliner. “We’re proud of our journey: from virtual
reality gaming to working with NASA to now partnering with Boeing, the world’s
largest aerospace company,” said Opaque Space CEO Emre Deniz. “It’s especially
gratifying to demonstrate Australian technical leadership in an emerging area
like virtual reality.”
Boeing Defense Australia will explore space
situational awareness capabilities as part of its growing command, control and
communications business. The Australian Defense Force currently has
Boeing-built satellite communications supporting its operations. Australia
became the first international participant in the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)
system under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Air Force in 2007; WGS
provides flexible, high-capacity and resilient communications capabilities. The
Ultra High Frequency hosted payload on the Intelsat 22 satellite delivers
critical connectivity to Australian forces.
Other Australian-developed space technologies
include a weather server that can analyze locations on the surface of the earth
and objects in space, an application to connect teams during live test events
such as space launches, and spacecraft cabin anti-microbial polymer research.
With more than 3000 employees, Boeing in
Australia has a broad portfolio of aerospace capabilities across the country,
including advanced manufacturing of commercial aircraft components, complex defense
systems design and production, research and development, training and
sustainment services, and unmanned systems.