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Cooperative Research and Development Agreement signed
RDECOM Simulation & Training
Technology Center Executive Director Russel Lenz (l.) L3 Communications
Corp. Link Simulation & Training
Division VP of Engineering Frank Delisle, and UCF Associate VP, Office of
Research and Commercialization Thomas O'Neal put pens to the recent cooperative
agreement among the three.
A
CRADA among three simulation & training agencies in Orlando's Central
Florida Research Park promises to help move the technology forward through
teamwork among defense, industry and academia.
L-3 Communications' Link Simulation and
Training division, the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering
Command’s Simulation and Training Technology Center (RDECOM – STTC) and
UCF's Office of Research and Commercialization signed it.
The agreement creates the
"Government-Industry-Academia Simulation Laboratory"—GIA Sim Lab for
short—through which IST will develop live, virtual and constructive
simulation capabilities and a test bed environment to advance modeling,
simulation and training.
UCF keynotes at IEEE Vienna conference
 Christopher Stapleton, School of Film Digital Media faculty member and director
of the IST/Digital Media
Media Convergence Lab
gave a keynote presentation at the recent IEEE International Symposium for
Mixed and Augmented Reality at the Vienna Academy of Sciences in Austria
(photo at left).
Stapleton talked about the future of mixed and augmented reality
and the importance of transdisciplinary research. He illustrated his talk with samples of the Media Convergence Lab's
diverse work in entertainment, education, training and cognitive rehabilitation.
Unlike virtual reality, which substitutes computer-generated content for the real thing, mixed reality
simulation technology allows participants to experience a blend of real-time, real-word
sensations and computer-generated content. MCL has researched this technology with the help of UCF's Colleges of Arts
and Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Business Administration, Education and Health and Public
Affairs and the Institute for Simulation & Training.
The lab has developed relationships with research labs in the European Union and the Far East, notably
Canon, Inc. (Japan), Samsung (Korea) and HIT Lab (New Zealand).
IST's I/ITSEC exhibit focuses on Human-machine
interface research
 Technology demonstrations
such as the display on intuitive control of unmanned aerial vehicles
(right) were the theme for IST's presence in in the Florida High Tech
Corridor exhibit at I/ITSEC this December. IST's demonstrations provided a glance at several ongoing projects at the
institute that researchers hope will lead to more efficient ways for
humans to interact with today's high tech hardware.
I/ITSEC is the Interservice/-Industry Training, Simulation and Education
Conference held annually in Orlando. The event this year, according to
conference organizers' preliminary figures, drew more than
4,000 conference delegates, 500+ exhibitors in more than 400 booths and
more than 16,000 total
badged visitors to the exhibits. IST's exhibit presence is the
result of a partnership among the university,
Florida High Tech Corridor Council,
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and
Daytona Beach Community College.
ISTs current research on efficient agent control (a robot vehicle is
considered an "agent") grew out of a need for simulation training
for operators of increasingly complex systems. Adopters of these systems
concerned about the validity of simulation training products can turn to
the institute's advanced training technology unit for
specifically tailored
validation solutions.
mLearning lays foundation for learning
on-the-go
In his new book, mLearning:
Mobile Learning and Performance in the Palm of
Your Hand, IST’s David S. Metcalf II lays a foundation for learning on the
go by cell phone or personal data assistant (PDA) device.
 “Rather
than allowing your time to be completely wasted by circumstances beyond your
control,” Metcalf tells commuters and business travelers enduring the endless
down-time of mass transportation travel, “[w]hat if, in the not-to-distant future,
you could gain back hours of such useful time each day?”
mLearning provides a thorough
overview of existing mobile technology and case studies of how mobile learning
can work in sales, services and business processes and performance
environments.
An emerging
model for this kind of learning is provision of just-in-time information in
small doses. A sales representative between planes, for example, would not dive
into lengthy MBA coursework, but could gain a “time rebate” by using the
down-time to brush up on details of his products. Likewise, a service agent in
the field could interact with a repair manual to gain assistance with a repair.
mLearning details how companies using
existing mobile technologies are already providing these services for their
employees.
Metcalf calls for a “fundamental shift in
learning model, style, and application...” if mobile learning is to be
effective in a time-constrained, on-the-go environment. He shows how learning
content must change to accommodate the capabilities (screen size, wireless
capabilities, processing power) of mobile devices.
“One of the
most fundamental shifts in thinking,” according to Metcalf, “is a way from the
idea that wireless delivery system[s] will be good for all types of learning,
in all situations.” mLearning details
the instructional design alternatives required for the most effective uses of
the technology.
You
cannot download mLearning to your
cell phone or PDA—yet—but you can digest the book, either in small doses or
large, to gain a thorough, up-to-date overview on the current capabilities,
instructional methods and future possibilities for mobile learning.
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AT&T grant will fund graduate research
For the second year in a row AT&T Foundation has boosted the M&S
Graduate program with a $25,000 grant. The gift will fund a graduate research
position and is matched by another $25,000 from the US Army's RDECOM.
Live simulation increasingly is used by
the U.S. Army and other military branches to simulate battlefield
conditions so soldiers can experience real-world conditions before being
deployed to a war zone. It is also used to evaluate new or modernized
weapons systems in a near real-world setting and holds promise in other
areas, such as homeland security-related training.
Photo: (l. to r.) Dir. Orlando Operations Div.
AT&T Government
Solutions Jim Skurka and
AT&T Regional VP Rick Hubbard pass the
check to IST
Director Randy Shumaker (r.)
as Congressman Tom Feeney looks on.
The AT&T Foundation said the grant will support
graduate work in live simulation under the guidance of UCF’s Institute for
Simulation and Training. The research will be performed at the Sergeant First
Class Paul Ray Smith Simulation and Training Technology Center located in the
Central Florida Research Park, a UCF partnership facility that also houses the
U.S. Army’s Research Development and Engineering Command simulation research
activity.
AT&T Government Solutions’ Orlando operations in
April 2004 won two major Army contracts involving the development of live
simulation technology, which will modernize the “laser-tag” battlefield
simulation that has been in use over the past decade.
The newer technology will include embedded sensors
and will accommodate non-line-of-sight simulation, giving troops more realistic
“force on force” simulated battles so they are better prepared for real battle.
Responding to the growing need for highly skilled professionals in the field,
UCF several years ago developed multidisciplinary master’s and Ph.D. degree
programs in modeling and simulation.
More than 125 graduate students from the U.S. and
abroad currently add to the discipline’s body of knowledge while they work
toward an advanced degree.
Pilot study to investigate
simulator for anesthesiologist training
A simulator to train anesthesiologists to apply local anesthetics is one of the
latest virtual reality challenges for researchers at the University of Central
Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training.
 IST’s cutting edge
research on medical and surgical simulation technology already has resulted in
innovative tools for medical training. The Combat Trauma Surgical Simulation (CTSS)
was developed to simulate combat wounds realistically and train medics in a
controlled environment. This new technology was successfully developed at IST
with a grant from the Department of Defense.
CTSS simulates serious combat wounds realistically on digitally enhanced
mannequins—also known as “human patient simulators.” It also supports realistic
wound management and surgical suturing.
Using a human patient simulator, a medic or resident can be trained
realistically in a safe environment without causing harm to a real patient. A
hands-on simulator for local anesthesia administration will add a new element of
realism to training medics and residents in this complex procedure.
Through a grant from the university, IST research scientist, Bala Jaganathan,
MD, and a team of researchers are conducting a pilot study to develop such a
tool. Dr. Jaganathan’s team will also explore the possibility of building a
complete simulation suite for this complex procedure that incorporates real-time
physiological changes in the simulated patient. Modeling and simulation doctoral
students will conduct the basic research.
Dr. Jaganathan serves as the study’s advisor and medical expert. He will explore
the feasibility of developing this technology further.
When developed, this technology will directly address the need for improving
healthcare training using latest technological advances, according to Dr. Peter
Kincaid, graduate research professor of the modeling and simulation graduate
program.
Programming team does it again!
The cream of UCF's computer programmers once again rose
toward the top of a field of 6,000 teams and will travel to the
International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals to compete
against 79 other teams for best-on-the-planet honors. Site for the April
9-13, 2006, contest is San Antonio. IST researchers Glenn Martin and Jason
Daly coach the team of students. Dr. Ali Orooji, Computer Science, is
advisor.
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Links to
other stories
Simulation tool provides trauma training for medics in the field
More accolades for Robotics Team in aerial and underwater
competitions
Peter Hancock
made American Psychological Society Fellow...
receives Human Factors and Ergonomics Society award
UCF
Robotics Team brings home high marks from IGCV
Researcher Glenn
Martin awarded for interactive virtual reality work
Virtual Truck
Driver Training
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