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US Military Ramps Up Stinky VR Training

Posted by chrisd on from the don't-quit-college-for-video-games dept.

HarrisonSilp writes "CNN.com has a story regarding the U.S. Military's recent foray into using Virtual Reality as a training method. Being developed by Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), they call it Mission Rehearsal Exercise or MRE for short, and it is a most impressive setup. 'The 5-minute scenario is projected onto a 150-degree movie screen, complete with 10.2-channel audio that creates floor-shaking sound effects. To enhance the sense of reality, smells including burned charcoal can be pumped into the room.' It almost makes me want to write off college and join the army..."

6 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Marketing... by PRickard · · Score: 5, Funny
    The US Army announced today that it will begin training new recruits with modern techniques designed for today's younger and less educated soldier. The new methods include training on the PlayStation 2, Microsoft XBox, Nintendo Game Cube, an enhanced multimedia experience involving cheap pornographic movies and a 38-foot-wide screen, and free liquor Fridays. The Army is reportedly adopting these new training techniques to attract youth who would not otherwise be interested in military service.

    'Army of One' is referring more and more to the average IQ of new recruits, not the sense of fellowship. (This isn't an attack at the military, just an observation about the people I know who have signed up in the last 2 years.)

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    == Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====

  2. You want VR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Try some psilocybin mushrooms. Yummy!

    They go great with weed too.

  3. What a waste of money! by Digital_Fiend · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those idiots can just download a DOOM wad that turns all the monsters into Barney the Purple Dinosaur! They'll be killing machines in no time!

  4. VR EH! by Technosteve! · · Score: 2, Funny

    just get the soliders play metal gear solid one and two a couple thoudand times till they think they are snake. then we will have a army of super soliders able to take on 50 feet nuclear armed dinosaur looking things. think the future. think snake.

    --
    Me and lunchbox here are going to kick your ass.
  5. Silly Army.... by FuegoFuerte · · Score: 5, Funny

    While this may be an interesting new technology, or cool new advances on older technology, I have to wonder why we need this so badly. I mean, really... The Army is always getting fancy new toys like this which cost millions of dollars, yet the Marine Corp still manages to do better with the leftovers they inherited from the Army after Vietnam. Can someone explain why we really need to waste "more than $45 million... between 2000 and 2005." on these new toys?

  6. Re:flight sims by kruczkowski · · Score: 4, Funny

    I remeber my dad took me to the Navy post grad school in Monterey CA back in '95. They were developing sims that had helecopters, tanks and personel in one scenerio. I am still amazed by the graphics. It was funny, at one point the machines crashed and started playing clasical music. One of the guys with a pony tail and glasses says, "Uh, it crashed again"

    --
    hmm... for fun I enjoy launching DDoS attacks against 127.87.42.5