University of Central Florida
Background, Research and Facilities
CAGE code: 9H673
Place of performance:
Institute for Simulation and Training, University
of Central Florida
3100 Technology Pkwy.,
Orlando, FL 32826
Classified material: Cleared up to Secret
The Institute for Simulation
and Training is an institute of the
University of Central Florida in Orlando,
focused on training and simulation related
research. Nationally renowned faculty,
pioneering research and a student-centered
approach to learning have cemented UCF
as a center for academic excellence,
attracting students from all 50 states
and 138 foreign countries. UCF
has 12 colleges and currently offers
92 bachelor’s,
85 master’s, 30 doctoral and
four advanced master’s, professional (medical),
and specialist degree programs. A
multidisciplinary graduate program
leading to a master’s
and doctoral degree in modeling and
simulation is available to students
of engineering, computer science, digital
media, mathematics, psychology and
other related disciplines. The university,
in partnership with Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University's Worldwide
Campus also offers a two-year online
program for working professionals:
the Modeling and Simulation Professional
Science MS Degree.
The university's emphasis
on research fosters the creation of intellectual
capital that can solve today’s
pressing problems, improve the quality
of life and provide an engine for economic
growth. Research
dollars reach far beyond university boundaries to strengthen and diversify
the local and state economy. In 2011,
$106.6 million came from federal,
state and industry partners. Many of
the 10,000 employees in the Central Florida Research
Park next to the main campus work with UCF researchers and
students on projects in the sciences,
engineering, photonics and optics, modeling
and simulation, and health-related fields.
Founded in 1982, IST is one of the
nation’s
leading research centers for simulation,
training, modeling, virtual, augmented and
mixed reality research for both defense and
commercial applications. IST employs more than 260 full-time researchers, support personnel
and student interns. A growing number of
joint faculty appointments with UCF extend
the institute’s range of capabilities
to a wide spectrum of university disciplines. An
aggressive effort to involve students in
real-world research has resulted in numerous
undergraduate and graduate student research
positions. Located in a dynamic,
growing field, supported by government
and industry sponsors, and charged
with identifying new directions for
this technology, IST is helping to
define the future of simulation and
training.
The institute is located in the Central
Florida Research Park next to the UCF
campus. This location is in the heart
of the “Florida
High Tech Corridor” between Daytona
Beach and Tampa where over 170 companies
specialize in simulation- and training-related
research. Key Department of Defense training
systems developers are co-located in the
research park. The Naval Aviation (NAVAIR)
Orlando Training Systems Division, U.S. Army
Program Executive Office for Simulation,
Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI),
US Army Research Development and Engineering
Command Simulation and Training Technology
Center, Air Force Agency for Modeling and
Simulation, U.S. Marine Corps Program
Manager for Training Systems, the Army Research
Institute Human Research and Engineering
Directorate, and the Coast Guard Liaison
Office are within walking distance of IST’s
facilities.
IST’s laboratories, workspace and administrative
offices occupy more than 80,000 sq. ft. at
its three Central Florida Research Park locations,
the Partnership II and III buildings and the Simulation Training
Technology Center. Large portions of the
institute’s facilities are configured
as laboratories and research workspace. Laboratory
space is flexible and reconfigured as projects
and programs require. Current laboratories
support research in computer generated forces,
embedded training, virtual, mixed and augmented
reality, computer graphics, high performance
parallel processing, interactive entertainment,
public safety, advanced distributed learning,
computer-controlled robotics, human factors
and behavioral science. 25,000 sq. ft.
in the Simulation Training Technology Center
is principally dedicated to Army simulation
training initiatives and the Army Research
Institute. IST and UCF research faculty,
students, and program managers share this
significant laboratory space with the Army
and conduct joint research projects. Additional
laboratories are available in the Partnership
II and III buildings. These five-story, 191,000
sq. ft. (total) buildings are also home to elements
of U.S. Army PEO (STRI), U.S. Marine Corps
Program Manager for Training Systems and
UCF’s Team Performance and Advanced
Distributed Learning Laboratories.
Laboratories are equipped with computers,
simulators and related equipment interconnected
by high speed data transmission lines
and fiber optics.
IST is a focal point for research in
simulation technology for many groups
in the Orlando community and beyond.
An example of these partnerships is
the BARCO/Lockheed/Quantum3D Augmented
Reality Center located for several years
in the Partnership II building. The institute’s
three major and numerous smaller laboratories
provide an optimum environment for
students, faculty, research staff and
outside organizations wishing to conduct
research. (2/10)
Major Research Domains
Virtual Environments
A virtual environment is
a computer-generated simulation wherein
the user interacts with a 2-D or
3-D representation of reality, reacting
and responding to computer-generated
sensory stimuli with user-controlled
feedback devices. Monitor screens,
projection caves, head-mounted displays
or similar hardware provide the visual
component. Other devices supply surround
sound, touch and smell, and relay user
interaction back to the simulation.
IST research covers various degrees
and modes of immersion, from low-level
interaction with keyboard and computer
screen to augmented reality, mixed
reality and virtual reality.
IST labs support a wide range of display,
sensor and input device technologies enabling
researchers to evaluate and report on the
effectiveness of these various systems
as training devices. Research explores
multi-modal augmented and virtual environments,
innovative display devices and new modalities.
Research is also conducted on approaches
for linking virtual with live and constructive
simulations.
The labs also perform effective research
in physically based, multi-user virtual
and augmented environments allowing users
to interact with each other and the computer-generated
environment.
Research includes virtual environment training
for navigation in buildings and over outside
terrain, development of software infrastructures
for collaborative environments providing
for a shared experience across all senses,
team training in an immersive virtual environment,
after action review systems for feedback
of performance within a virtual environment,
and the use of partial and fully immersive
environments for medical procedure simulation.
IST researchers created the Virtual Environment
Software Sandbox,TM an open source, freely
available suite of software libraries designed
to simplify and expedite the development
of applications that require virtual environments.
Research initiatives include the incorporation
of olfaction into virtual and augmented
reality environments with scientific studies
to confirm the benefits of olfaction for
improved immersion and training; investigation
of different ways to enhance virtual and
augmented reality environments with different
haptic/tactile devices; and research into
adaptable networking architectures for
virtual and augmented environments.
Terrain Databases
Terrain databases are a basic building
block in many of today’s simulations.
Reliability of and ease in access to
the data are critical to the development
of a successful simulation. IST has
developed applications to benefit both
of these areas.
Current research involves investigations
into how to more efficiently move and
manipulate large terrain data bases
for virtual and constructive simulations. Research
is being conducted to better understand the
impact of networking, parallel computation,
and the human interface on data base generation
for computer simulations. Prototype
pseudo data bases to benchmark performance
are also being created. Existing
cluster computing resources available
to IST are supporting this research.
ZCAP© is a suite of software tools
developed to address terrain database
interoperability. It provides capabilities
for terrain and culture correlation
testing, terrain and image registration,
database analysis and terrain database
visualization. The software is available
over the Internet and continues to
undergo enhancements based on input
from its users.
Computer Generated Forces
Computer Generated Forces systems provide
opponents and supplemental friendly
forces for human trainees in real-time
virtual battlefield simulations. IST-developed computer
programs can generate and control simulated
ground vehicles, aircraft, and infantry,
and other agents autonomously in simulations.
Institute scientists are experimenting with
voice recognition and natural language commands
to coordinate movement of computer generated
forces. IST’s research
has produced significant results in
fast route planning, line of sight
determination and reconnaissance planning,
cooperative behavior, mission planning,
threat analysis and terrain reasoning.
The research is relevant and transferable
to state and local civil engineering,
transportation and other non defense-oriented
initiatives.
Training & Education
As a result of studies and initiatives
by state and federal governments and the
realization that at least 60 percent of
jobs in the 21st century will require computer
literacy, IST education researchers are
working to implement appropriate technology,
including simulation technology, into new
curricula. Once such project stimulates
learning by creating synthetic learning
environments wherein students gain exposure
to people, places and things with which
they are unfamiliar. Researchers hypothesize
that an engaging, interactive experience
will facilitate the learning process.
Team Training and Human Factors
In collaboration with UCF's
Psychology Department, IST conducts research
toward better ways to train people to
act and interact in complex environments
where stress is high and mistakes potentially
life threatening. Ongoing research includes
cognitive modeling, human factors, mathematical
algorithms team training and team dynamics
and human performance measurement.
Complex Adaptive Systems Research
The institute developed
M&S applications
to study complex adaptive systems, some of which
are modeling and simulation systems. The research
covers several aspects of complexity including approaches
to resiliency to failure and adaptability to changing
conditions. Research involves both reduced
complexity modeling paradigms, model pedigrees, and
self adaptive software approaches. Research
will help facilitate composition of
simulations and reduced development
time.
Autonomous Wireless Robots
The institute has conducted research
into development of a new generation
of autonomous wireless robots designed
to carry intelligent sensor agents.
These miniature sensors, deposited
along the robot’s path, relay
data from a remote environment along
a distributed ultra wide band sensor
web of mobile and stationary devices.
The research activity explores creative
ways to seamlessly integrate global
positioning systems, miniature sensors,
laser range finders, gyros, wireless
video, continuous localization algorithms
and ad-hoc networking on a robotic
platform.
IST has gained extensive experience
with robotic control applications through
the use of genetic algorithms. This
technology is useful for controlling
teams of both ground and micro-aerial
vehicles and ideal for keeping teams
and robots operational despite casualties
to sensors or individual robot agents. Work
is ongoing to improve the effectiveness of
generated rule sets by strengthening them
with such other machine-learning algorithms
as Fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks. Visualization
tools aid in evaluating the effectiveness
of robot simulations. Advancements
pioneered at the institute point to
smarter ground vehicles capable of
advanced collaboration and team efforts.
Human-Robot Interface
Through its Central Florida Collaboration
for Advanced Research on Agents and Teams
(CARAT), IST and UCF combined the
efforts of a variety of university researchers,
departments and institutes to focus on
human-agent team research, training and
evaluation. Research is in response to
military plans to field semi-autonomous
systems, including highly automated ships,
agent-based decision systems and mobile
land-, air- and sea-based robots.
Embedded Simulation and Training
Working with the U.S. Army Simulation
and Training Technology Center (STTC),
the institute developed a variety of
reconfigurable embedded training and
mission rehearsal testbeds. These testbeds
replicate in simulation the interaction
between crewmembers and their systems.
One of these, an infantry carrier vehicle
testbed patterned after the Army Future
Combat System, is interoperable with
four different dismounted infantry embedded
training systems. Included in the STTC
research are efforts involving after
action review, mission rehearsal, intelligent
tutoring for use cases in robotics management
and dismounted infantry, and investigation
of the One Semi-Automated Force (OneSAF)
Objective System as a human-in-the-loop
simulation engine.
IST participates in a
variety of research with these testbed
to include experimentation with the Army
Research Laboratory on human-computer interaction
and robotic management workload. These
testbeds provide an ideal context in which
to study operator interface design, training
techniques and workload implications of
changing tactics and techniques. (2/09)
Parallel Computing
Use of parallel processing to speed
program execution promises to improve
simulation performance. The institute
employs an IBM-designed High Performance
Computing Cluster dedicated to research
in parallel and distributed computing.
IST has made this resource available
to the university and local research
community for a variety of applications
requiring high computing capabilities
and minimum turnaround times.
IST joined with UCF’s Center
for Research and Education in Optics
and Lasers (CREOL) to solve computationally
intensive parallel image processing
and optical coherence tomography simulation
problems. Use of the High Performance
Cluster cut processing time from days
and weeks to a few hours or days.
Mathematical Models for Crowd Behavior
On-going research at UCF is aimed at
developing advanced computational-simulation
models that increase understanding
and ability to predict the behavior
of organisms interacting within complex
environments. Tools are
being developed that provide an infrastructure
for modeling and simulation of the
collective behavior of pedestrians
in the street or of people finding
their way inside a building or a room.
These simulations are used to understand
and modify crowd behavior, thereby
identifying strategies to reduce fatalities
during emergencies such as nightclub
fires, stadium accidents, and subway
bombings and other terrorist acts.
This scientific computing infrastructure
will be further developed to simulate
behavior of other mobile animals. For example,
models can be developed to predict the movement
of animals through an ecopassage, the outcome
of complex interactions along environmental
gradients, and the effects of point-source
pollution on larval settlement in marine
communities. This advanced computing
infrastructure, based on the Helbing-Moln´ar-Farkas-Vicsek
model as modified by Lakoba, Kaup and
Finkelstein, will thus empower interdisciplinary
behavioral and biological research
communities to achieve computational
discovery.
Medicine
IST's medical-related simulation
research has ranged from development
of algorithms for 3-D endoscopic
surgery simulation to the use of
interactive virtual and mixed reality
simulation for rehabilitation of patients
with brain injuries. Related research
in human factors adds a psychological
dimension and expertise in human-machine
interface.
Information Technology
As simulation and training
communities become more diverse
and geographically dispersed,
IT developments and services
provided from the institute have
played a major role in allowing
those community members to share
their knowledge, reduce coordination
and staffing time and generally
increase productivity.
The institute’s Department of Information
Systems Technology offers information technology
consulting, application development and systems
services. Advanced applications may
be developed to support data manipulation,
workflow and decision-making. The
department offers products and services
that facilitate communication and information
sharing; assist with information storage
and retrieval; and automate business
processes for improved efficiency and
reduced costs. The department can assist
clients in development of collaborative
information environments and applications
and advise on future developments to
capitalize on distributed information
technologies.
Focused on facilitating process automation
across any content domain where collaboration,
communication and knowledge management
may provide increased effectiveness
and efficiency, IST’s information
systems staff develops innovative knowledge
management systems for reconfigurable,
enterprise-wide applications.
Information technology administrators
use many unique features pioneered
by the institute’s
team to enhance information sharing. Such
items as electronic conferencing, web newsletters,
what’s new, who’s who,
FTP for downloading and uploading files,
and data mining via powerful search
engine capabilities are widely used.
By employing the latest database-to-web
connectivity tools and developing problem-solving
applications, IST has become a leader
in this new information technology
field. New techniques for data mining,
knowledge management and network design
are currently under study.
Operational Neurosensing
IST has adapted portable, wearable, unobtrusive
psychophysiological sensing devices to
measure both behavioral and psychophysiological
changes that result from learning and retraining
in real world environments. Resulting measures
of workload, engagement, effort and emotion
will be critical for creating the next
generation of adaptive and augmented cognition
systems for medical and military applications.
Latest Update: October 2010
Research Equipment
A
list of research equipment included in IST's inventory is available as
an Adobe PDF document.
Click here to download the file. If you
need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to open the document, you can download it
for free from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html:
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Page updated:
01/25/2011