Coral Gable – When an armed shooter enters the store, there is little time to respond.
But a virtual reality program that mimics a real workplace is training employees to think quickly and save lives.
Jeremy Byrenson, founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, discussed the application of virtual and enhanced technology as keynote speaker at the University of Miami XR conference last Friday.
“(Active Shooter) simulations allow us to practice decision-making, hiding, escape or responding to threats in a safe and controlled setting,” Beylenson said. “By interacting with scenarios in real time, it develops muscle memory and situational awareness and improves your ability to respond under stress.”
Bailenson co-founded Strivr to carry out VR training in the workplace. His product armed attacks have been used by hundreds of thousands of people in companies such as Verizon, Bank of America, and Walmart. Most companies are involved in developing custom simulations, modeling digital backgrounds after real locations.
“One of the incredible features of training is tracking the gaze of trainees’ eyes. For example, if you need a shooting game with a “no eye contact” in your training, then you’ll need an instance of an icon dresser during training. and adjust feedback to remind trainees how to improve,” Beylenson said.
The tension created through VR events is difficult to replicate with just PowerPoint training or roleplay.
“Experiences that inside VR will help you to see the empathy and understanding you feel. Tom Merrick, senior project manager for UM’s VR and AR Initiatives, said: played a leading role in hosting the Miami XR conference.
Armed Attack offers practical, repeatable drills, such as searching for hidden spots and selecting office objects that can be used for self-defense. The simulation is performed on STIVR’s learning platform. This can be downloaded to a headset such as an Oculus.
In 2019, 23 people were killed during a mass shooting at Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Before the incident, employees were practicing with active shooter training on Strivr.
“Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, noted that the training has helped employees make quick decisions during the crisis and is helping them save lives. “Baylenson said.
Armed attacks are the evolution of 10 years of research in Strivr. VR works effectively on spatial events where actions are taking place around someone else’s perspective.
“Strivr started off by training quarterbacks in VR, allowing them to get more mental reps off the field, which is what they don’t replicate practice on the field. It helped to avoid the extra wear on their bodies that could happen if they didn’t, and to even eliminate the need to be in the practice field,” strivr said.
In the future, VR training can help teachers protect their children during school shooting attempts.
“To guide teachers to (active shooter training) for the same reasons and understand roles and training, they may have experienced that scenario before, so it is absolutely useful from a safety standpoint. Let’s,” Merrick said.
Original issue: February 14th, 2025, 12:52pm EST
