Mary Karangelen, System Engineer, Collins Aerospace, demonstrates the Coalescence mixed reality system.

Collins Aerospace says its Coalescence training system surrounds trainees with 3D photorealism. “Your body quickly begins to react as if those surroundings were real.” Other live participants can train with individuals for multi-crew interaction.

Through virtual-reality (VR) headset, users can see real-world elements in front of them  – including their hands – in an immersion of the virtual environment.

Mary Karangelen,  System Engineer, Collins Aerospace, said the Coalescence mixed-reality system takes virtual reality (VR) to the next level.

She explained: “We’ve taken cameras and mounted them on the front of the head-mounted display. We’re able to do a ‘mixing’ of the video and the virtual environment so the user can interact with real-world objects and get that tactical training, through the video output.”

Tactical experience

She added: “They have the 3D 360-degree virtual environment and they have that immersive experience that the VR brings, but the video input takes that to the next level where you can integrate, for example, a joystick or a Hands On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS). “

She added: “The mixed reality [gives a] much higher training value because [of] this tactical experience for the user. And in this application, we have a very small footprint for training – you don’t need a lot of space to get a very immersive training experience for our students.”

Karangelen said that the video-blending technology and low latency of the video allow the user to comfortably use the VR  for longer periods of time.

Find out more and see the demo in action by watching the video.

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