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Norway Is Gamifying Warfare By Driving Tanks With Oculus Rift

Posted by Unknown on from the better-killing-through-technology dept.

Daniel_Stuckey (2647775) writes "Look at Norway, where the Army has started using Oculus Rift to drive tanks with increased visibility, according to the Norwegian TV station tu.no. Four VR cameras are mounted on the sides of the tank to give the soldier inside donning the headset a full 360 degree view of what's going on outside, like X-ray vision. Using cameras to 'see through' a vehicle isn't a new concept; when the hatches are down tanks are notoriously hard to navigate. But the Oculus Rift dev kit is just a fraction of the price of traditional 360-degree camera equipment: Lockheed Martin's F-35 helmet for pilots can cost tens of thousands of dollars."

5 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. F-35 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The latency / integration requirements for the F - 35 are probably a lot more sophisticated.

    1. Re:F-35 by Splab · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I get that it is a silly comparison, but what's with the negative vibes?

      These guys have come up with a nifty solution to an expensive problem and they are using some awesome geek gear to do so.

  2. Gamifying doesn't mean what you think it means. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It refers to turning something that would otherwise be uninteresting into a game in order to make it more interesting for participants.

    1. Re:Gamifying doesn't mean what you think it means. by GameboyRMH · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...Or at least adding game-like elements, like scorekeeping or achievements.

      But you're right that this isn't gamification because it does not add any elements of gaming to the activity. It's a digital head-mounted display system for a tank, like the one in the F35. If there were an attack helicopter controlled with a dual-analog gamepad, that wouldn't be gamification either.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  3. I wouldn't want it by portwojc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a former M1A1 tank driver I would not want this system at all. I don't need something extra that can go wrong and leave me blind at the wrong time. Imagine yanking all that crap off just to be able to see again. Give it to the commander and let him play with the toy but he'll set it aside I'm sure.

    Tanks are not all that hard to navigate. Plus you're not suppose to get tanks into positions where you have those sorts of problems. If you do then you have the rest of your platoon to help be your eyes. As well as "scratch your back" if you need it.