South Korea's National Fire Research Institute is developing virtual reality training for firefighters at its Virtual Tactics Research Building in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. The Institute moved to Gongju from Asan in August, and a Chosunbiz reporter visited the building on 2 November. Trainees wear sensors, and their arm and leg movements drive a rescuer in the virtual scene, so they practise rescue procedures with the whole body rather than by pressing buttons.
Training spaces
- An open VR training ground on the first floor measures 30 m by 30 m with no columns. A large front screen showed a training scenario of rescuing people at a traffic accident scene.
- An enclosed training ground on the second floor has movable walls to simulate different interior layouts.
- An individual training area is equipped with a stationary movement device and VR equipment.
- An upstairs control room has multiple monitors that let staff check the training space and the status of the VR program.
Scenarios and plans
The centre creates risk scenarios such as traffic accidents, fires and flooding to validate response technologies without an actual disaster. A haptic glove that conveys the sense of touch when handling equipment in virtual space is still under development. An institute official said the plan is to develop training content over about three years and then use it to train actual firefighters, so the system is at a prototype stage.
