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Digital rehearsal can reduce both the time and costs involved of the major advantages to digital
in delivering a successful project, bringing new innovative rehearsals are the opportunity to
technologies into the gas industry. Ben Knight, Mechanical identify, highlight and eliminate safety
hazards; to train for complex
Engineer for Premtech, examines this new technology procedures or tasks and to enable
critical task analysis (CTA) to be
carried out.
he ability to practise and environment, whereas MR overlays With safety being paramount to all
rehearse is not new, but models into the real world. VR enables organisations, this is an invaluable tool
rather an old technique to a complete range of interactivity, from that can be utilised to ensure the
ensure the success of viewing a 360° photo or video, to a wellbeing of both site sta and the
T whichever task has been fully navigable environment via the use general public.
undertaken. Students sit mock papers of mainstream or specialised By conducting a digital rehearsal
to prepare for their nal exam and controllers, with two stereoscopic walkthrough using VR and by observing
musicians rehearse before they screens to display the model, the animated task or proposed asset, it
perform. So why don’t we rehearse the emulating depth of vision. is possible to highlight the potential
construction and operation of critical By mapping the area around the risks that would otherwise go unseen
infrastructure within the gas industry? user, an MR device is able to overlay a until construction began.
Critical infrastructure projects model onto the real world. This is Digital rehearsals make it possible
costing millions of pounds, providing usually achieved by using projectors to predict or eliminate hazards and
many dierent unique challenges and and glass screens positioned in front of minimise the chance of unplanned
obstacles are commonly developed the user’s eyes. This model can be events occurring. Anything that is
with no form of practice or rehearsal. navigated and observed from any angle unplanned can have signicant safety,
Digital rehearsal provides an insight in real time as the device runs a series environmental, programme and/or
to construction challenges and of calculations to correctly orient it. cost implications.
opportunities before construction on However, a digital rehearsal is not
a site commences. restricted to either VR or MR; it can NEW WAY TO TRAIN
A digital rehearsal is a rehearsal be carried out on any device that can By using both VR and MR, extensive
that is carried out through a digital display photos or play videos and training can be carried out on critical
medium and can include varying games, like a phone, tablet or tasks and maintenance activities.
levels of interactivity, ranging from a computer. For MR using a phone or Virtual training provides a highly
simple image or short animation, to a computer, the 3D model is overlaid interactive and engaging training
fully interactive, immersive virtual onto the image or video. environment with hands-on
reality environment. participation. The ‘learn by doing’ VR
IMPACTING THE WAY WE or MR experience can be undertaken
VIRTUAL AND MIXED REALITY THINK ABOUT SAFETY on reality headsets, computers,
Virtual and mixed reality, commonly Digital rehearsals provide a modern, tablets or even mobile phones,
referred to as VR and MR, are both visual way of communicating and accelerating user training. By applying
dierent ways that computer-aided assessing risks related to the these technologies to training, the
design (CAD) models can be potentially hazardous tasks requirement to travel to specialised
displayed. associated with training centres is eliminated and
The main dierence is, VR operational gas and there’s no need for complex training
creates a fully immersive construction sites. Some rigs to be constructed and maintained.

PHASED CONSTRUCTION
Many sites that undergo
construction or maintenance
activities, be it considered major or
minor works, will o”en have the
work phased, typically to suit
operational restrictions or
constraints associated with a
particular site. Through digital
rehearsal, these phases or stages
can be practiced and assessed to
ensure they are optimised, providing
maximum benet in terms of safety,
cost and programme. Digital
rehearsals can also include all the
construction equipment that would
be required for the tasks, ensuring
that there is adequate access, space
and facilities for the equipment to
be utilised safely and eectively.

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