The list of survivors of grizzly bear attacks in countries like the U.S. and Canada is overwhelming, but there are also many who did not survive to tell the tale. This species is now considered threatened, particularly in the USA, where it is in federal custody in almost all states.
A company called VR Training Solutions, based in Prince George, Maryland, believes that Virtual Reality could enable explorers and campers to be trained in high-stress situations involving proximity to bears. This would represent more appropriate training, unlike books or magazines that give indications that do not put people in context about what they will actually face.
Virtual Reality allows training explorers against bear attacks
The objective of the company with this tool is to immerse the user in a situation that requires rapid decision making with significant consequences for his or her life. Dan Le Grandeur, a member of the wildlife training organization Bear Scare, said the Virtual Reality used by VR Training Solutions is the most effective he has seen to date.
The training program, called VR Bear Safety, requires users to make critical decisions and make appropriate physical movements to escape the pressing situation, which also represents an exercise in muscle memory.
Through Virtual Reality glasses, the user is immersed in a physical action experience where he is really excited and learns what to do if he is close to being attacked by a bear. The software simulates a virtual forest where the encounter with the bear takes place.
Simulating a bear encounter to train a person on what to do in such a situation is just one of many Virtual Reality-based training modalities currently being studied. We have previously seen how this technology could be used to train first responders in new action and response scenarios.