BeBop Sensors & Talon Simulations Awarded Epic MegaGrant to develop a haptic glove-driven, full-motion VR trainer built for the Unreal Engine
The Californer/10092797

BERKELEY, Calif. - Californer -- BeBop Sensors, a haptic glove technology leader, and Talon Simulations  a leader in industrial gaming simulation together  announced that 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 simulate the touch sensation, 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

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"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.  By providing accurate motion cues to a fully immersive simulation, students are able to train for longer periods of time and studies show that we can increase the effectiveness in transfer of training to the real world. Together with Unreal software developers, we will be able to offer a robust, portable, and reliable simulator that can reduce training costs for a variety of applications," said Brandon Naids, CEO of 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 various 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.

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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.

About Epic MegaGrants

Epic Games has committed $100,000,000 to provide financial grants to creative, noteworthy, and innovative projects built in and around Unreal Engine or projects that enhance the open-source 3D graphics ecosystem. Grants range from $5,000 to $500,000, and cover a variety of endeavors from game development, architecture projects, and film production to academic uses and software tool development. No matter what size grant you receive, you will continue to own your IP and will be free to publish however you wish.