Page 16 - Gi March 2019 - Flipbook
P. 16

THE VIRTUAL TRAINING GROUND



















































                                 Phil Jenkins, Director at GATC, explores how undertaking
                                 complex tasks in a virtual reality environment allows operatives
                                 to practice otherwise hazardous activities and gain valuable
                                 expertise without placing themselves or others at risk

                                          e all want to go about our   entertainment rather than for practical
                                          daily work without the   use in the world of work. You may have
                                          risk of illness, injury or   read a very interesting feature in the
                                          worse. We are, however,   December/January edition of Gi, which
                                 W sometimes required to          described how VR and MR (mixed reality)
                                 undertake tasks that are, by their very   can be used to rehearse construction
                                 nature, hazardous, meaning we require   challenges linked to our transmission and
                                 controls to negate those hazards from   distribution network operations. Now,
                                 ever becoming a reality.         there is a new VR experience available,
                                   Gas engineers, in particular, are   which targets downstream activities
                                 often required to work in this way and   carried out by gas engineers working
                                 require a safe environment within   inside customers’ properties.
                                 which to practice applying controls and   GATC Ltd has collaborated with CEMET
                                 actions they will ultimately deploy in   at the University of Wales to develop
                                 the real world.                  a virtual reality experience that allows
                                                                  gas engineers to enter premises where
                                 How new is virtual reality?      there is a gas emergency unfolding.
                                 Virtual reality (VR) is not a new concept.
                                 The gaming world has been exploring   How does it work?
                                 this innovative digital technology   This virtual reality world, powered by
                                 for many years now, but as a form of   digital technology, facilitates emergency



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        TheVirtualTrainingGround.indd   1                                                                         14/02/2019   13:00
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