Extend your reality: A virtual training world.

The adoption of VR technology in the resources industry offers many benefits including improved safety training, reduced risks to trainees, more efficient skill development, and cost savings by reducing the need for physical equipment or offering remote training.

The mining industry is leveraging immersive VR experiences to revolutionise training and the upskilling of its workforce. These VR experiences are often created using a virtual world that meticulously replicates various aspects of mining operations.

There are specific benefits VR brings to training and upskilling, in particular:

• Virtual environments are safe environments – reduces the risk of training in high-risk tasks, machinery, or operations
• Virtual training is mobile and repeatable – reduces the cost, while maintaining consistency, with high-quality training
• Virtual activities can be simulated – training for specific fringe case scenarios/events

Using state-of-the-art technology, trainees are immersed in lifelike scenarios and provided hands-on experience without any real-world risk. Training simulations in VR offer a safe and controlled environment where trainees learn to recognise, respond to, and mitigate various hazards and challenges found in real mining environments. This approach involves creating 3D virtual environments that precisely model terrain, equipment, structures, and geological formations.

Trainees wear VR headsets – also called head mounted displays or HMDs – providing them with a 3D visual display and spatial audio, enhancing the sense of immersion.

To further engage trainees, VR systems use spatial tracking, allowing sensors and cameras to track head and hand movements in real-time, therefore enabling accurate human interaction within the virtual environment. Interactions can be monitored and used in reporting for formative or summative assessments to meet competencies and skills outcomes.

VR training is far superior to conventional classroom teaching due to the immersive nature of VR, which ensures that a trainee is fully engaged in the simulated situation. Whether it’s for equipment operation or emergency response training, VR experiences and simulations ensure individuals gain valuable skills while guaranteeing safety.