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Simulators as a Specialization
Serious games, the creation of games that are no longer just a form of entertainment, are beginning to penetrate work environments around the country. A local company based out of Morton, Illinois, CSE Software Inc. in connection with Simformotion LLC have begun to show how their creations of heavy equipment simulations for Caterpillar Inc. have begun to help CAT cut costs and train employees in a safer, more environmentally-friendly way. From loaders to excavators, these simulators are near replicas of the machines they represent.
What's more, the controls implemented for the game have been designed with even the machine's cabin in mind. The control system is more than just a hand-held game pad; it is a full body experience so the workers can become fully aware of the equipment before they ever need to go out into the field. The controls are designed directly from the cabin with fully functional joysticks, pedals, and even a seat belt that must be worn just as you would wear if you were really operating the machine.
The difficulty in creating these types of games is the necessity to create a "perfect" virtual environment. Elements like the way dirt is picked up and dropped, and the mechanics of the machine's motion around the world need to be spot on a that the user can really understand how things will react when they finish virtual training and begin "real" training out in the field. This is a difficult task because not only have the developers had to go out to test, see, and understand how the environment reacts in situations, but they have to take this research and adapt it to a computer program that has yet to have the "processing power" of that the real world.
Simulations companies have begun to really push the envelope to show that any business can benefit from incorporating interactive simulations in their workplace. Even better is the fact that these simulation companies no longer have a need to develop from the ground up. As they continue their research and development, new simulations can utilize old information allowing the end product to become even more refined.
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