BeBop Sensors & Talon Simulations Awarded Epic MegaGrant
BeBop Sensors & Talon Simulations Awarded Epic MegaGrant to develop a haptic glove-driven, full-motion VR trainer built for the Unreal Engine
The “Hands-On Immersive Full-Motion VR Trainer” will create an immersive cockpit/driver VR training platform integrating haptic touch, full-motion, and Unreal integration into an economical and portable chassis for Unreal Engine application developers.
Berkeley, CA | Orlando, FL – BeBop Sensors, a haptic glove technology leader, has partnered with industrial gaming simulation provider Talon Simulations to announce they have received an Epic Games MegaGrant to develop an economical “Hands-on Immersive Full-Motion VR Trainer” for the Unreal Engine. The joint development will provide military and commercial aviation training entities with a unique full-motion simulator providing a heightened sense of realism and lasting training benefits at a significantly lower price point.
The training platform will showcase the integration of BeBop Sensors’ Forte Data Gloves with Talon Simulations’ A3 Full-Motion Simulator offering 2-degrees-of-motion with integrated glove haptics such as force feedback and virtual cockpit control interaction to improve immersion and training realism. The grant will allow both companies to co-develop SDKs/APIs/haptic editors for the Unreal Engine, making it easier for developers to integrate haptic gloves and motion into VR-based training solutions. The compact units will be lightweight, easily portable, and reconfigurable with various flight and driver controllers at a price point far below traditional full-motion simulators offered today.
“By virtualizing the cockpit in VR and using haptic gloves to interact, we allow instructors and courseware designers to economically build more aircraft/vehicle variants without additional hardware costs and switch seamlessly between variants to improve student throughput. At the same time, we’re improving muscle memory and reducing muscle scaring by allowing them to use their hands naturally as they would in the real world – this changes the way simulator training will be delivered going forward,” noted Jerry Kurtze, VP of Sales & Marketing for BeBop Sensors
“Static flight simulators are fatiguing for students over time as they become disconnected from what their eyes are seeing in VR but not feeling in their inner ear or through the haptic responses in their hands or torso as they work controls flying the aircraft. Working together with Unreal software developers, we can offer a robust, portable, and reliable simulator that can reduce training costs for training applications,” said Brandon Naids, CEO Talon Simulations.
Features:
Unreal Engine SDKs and APIs will simplify the integration of haptic gloves, haptic responses, flight controls, and flight dynamics into Unreal developers’ training applications
Haptic gloves provide full hand translation, precision location, and tactile interaction; offering precise control and feedback of virtualized cockpit/dashboard controls
The simulator enables instructors to easily reconfigure for variants using VR to reproduce any virtualized cockpits with attached flight/driving controls
Controller swapping in under 10 minutes with a variety of aircraft and driving controllers – sticks, yokes, wheels, thrusters, and pedals
2’x 4′ footprint is compact and allows multiple systems to network in smaller classrooms
Compact and lightweight chassis is portable – easily crated or moved to be reconfigured to match the training space
About BeBop Sensors & Award-Winning BeBop Sensors Products
BeBop Sensors products have won the Red Herring Award, the TIME Magazine Best Inventions Award, the IDTechEx Wearable Award, the Frost & Sullivan North American Technology Innovation Award, and the Gartner Cool Vendor Award. BeBop Sensors uses smart fabrics to create elegant sensor solutions for OEMs. BeBop’s sensors comprehend force, location, size, weight, bend, twist, and presence across any size, resolution, and geometry. The sensors are available for a wide variety of applications, including military, industrial, medical, human factors, Virtual Reality, gaming, design, automotive, sports, and more. BeBop’s technology is robust and proven with over four million sensors in daily use. BeBop Sensors makes things knowable for product designers and visionaries.
About Talon Simulations
Talon Simulations specializes in immersive vehicle simulators for entertainment centers and training institutes. With the effective combination of high-quality virtual reality head mounted displays and responsive motion platforms, their team provides the most realistic simulations at a price point more accessible to wider audiences. Their strong focus on durable hardware along with prompt technical support makes Talon a reliable partner in both professional training environments and high throughput arcades. They have over 100 simulators in the field and have collaborated with companies like the Air National Guard, NASA, the US Navy, Bell Aerospace, and Toyota and also helped launch the largest commercial virtual reality deployment at the time for Dave & Buster’s with over 150 custom four seat motion simulators which they continue to manage all of the technical support for both hardware and software.
Media Contacts:
BeBop:
Jerry Kurtze, VP, Business Development
408.836.1765
jkurtze@bebopsensors.com
bebopsensors.com
Talon Simulations:
Brandon Naids, CEO/Founder
brandon@talonsimulations.com
www.talonsimulations.com
(610) 731-1750