…THE FUTURE OF TRAINING AND COMPETENCY IS MOVING AWAY FROM SITTING AND LEARNING TO A MORE TACTILE EXPERIENCE THAT BETTER PREPARES A TRAINEE TO OPERATE A CRANE UNDER DIVERSE CONDITIONS AND SCENARIOS.
ITI partnered with Serious Labs, Inc. (SLI) to develop
a library of crane and rigging-related simulation software. With offices in Edmonton and Calgary, SLI has deep expertise in the serious game genre and virtual reality simulation. Parnell pointed out, “As VR was becoming commercially viable earlier this year with Oculus Rift and other headset manufacturers, we began looking for experts on the cutting edge of that space. We found a wonderful partner in Serious Labs.” SLI develops advanced simulator and game-based training systems for high-stake jobs in the global construction, mining, and oil and gas industries. Oculus
Rift is presently the biggest name in the headset game, so it makes sense that ITI would also be working with them. “We landed our agreement with Serious Labs in August, and we’ll be to market by March (2017), but we started selling in September,” added Parnell. “Tere is a lot of VR out there now, but no one is doing this in cranes and rigging—so with Serious Labs and ITI, this would be the first application of VR in this industry.” Sheldon Redpath, Global Head of SHE-Q at
Holland-based Mammoet Holdings, explained that his company initially started out with its renowned PTC Simulator, which resides at the Mammoet Training Center in Te Netherlands. Te simulator was purpose- built to teach operators how to handle Mammoet’s largest crane, the PTC 140/200 DS. “It’s a complex system, and still serves us very well,” he affirmed, “but the VR concept has resonated with us because it’s so mobile. We were motivated by the fact that we could use the goggle systems that are out there and make it accessible to everyone—which allows us to train on a much wider scale.” Redpath is currently analyzing what type of
commercial value VR might represent to Mammoet. “In addition to what the folks at ITI are doing, or in concert with that—we don’t quite know yet—it’s certainly building momentum within our company. We feel like there’s a certain onus on companies like Mammoet and ITI—that find themselves in leadership roles—to create solutions for the industry.” Redpath believes that the future of training and competency is moving away from sitting and learning to a more tactile experience that better prepares a trainee to operate a crane under diverse conditions and scenarios. “Te technology is there where you can actually train the muscle memory and put someone into an environment that allows them to learn more effectively than the traditional process,” he emphasized. “I think this will be a game-changing technology in this space, particularly with the costs decreasing as it evolves.” Redpath also pointed out that VR is very attractive
Graham Brent, CEO at NCCCO runs through a VR program at ITI headquarters.
from both an environmental and safety standpoint— allowing workers to acquire the training they need while not relying on actual machines, which reduces safety concerns and carbon footprints. Another attractive feature of VR addresses what might be the most glaring concern in the industry at
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2016 25
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