VRaptor gives SWAT teams a virtual edge

17 Jun 2002

People who sign on to be cops -- whether city, state or FBI -- need extensive training to make the split-second judgments that would protect themselves. To widenaccess to such training, lessen its cost yet broaden its focus, a virtual reality simulation that allows two-person law enforcement teams to grip guns, don virtual realityglasses, and burst into the harsh environment of hostage-takers and their victims has been created in prototype by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories.

A participant's job is to determine who are the hostages and save them, take prisoner those kidnappers who surrender, and shoot those who fire weapons. Thesimulation, called VRaptor, was demonstrated at the IEEE's Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium, held in Albuquerque in early March.

"It's less like a video game and more like a flight simulator," said Sharon Stansfield, who leads the Sandia project. "It familiarizes law enforcement teams withscenarios."