CEO of the Heister VR startup Vladyslav Malyarchuk said that the team is working on creating a VR simulator to improve navigation skills in a combat zone using sound.
CEO of the Heister VR startup Vladyslav Malyarchuk said that the team is working on creating a VR simulator to improve navigation skills in a combat zone using sound.
According to the startup founder, the development is capable of reproducing scenarios of shelling from various types of heavy weapons and teaching recruits to better understand the situation, assess possible danger and its consequences.
«There is a list of needs and proposals from the military, but for now we are focusing exclusively on the shelling scenario. We have a list of interested instructors and representatives of individual training centers and brigades. For example, a representative of the 95th ODShBR asked to send all demos and prototypes for testing. They are already using VR and see the value in it. Our audience is, first of all, instructors and company commanders who are responsible for training and developing the skills of fighters,» Malyarchuk is quoted as saying by Vector.
There are no users of the startup yet, and the prototype is being tested with the military.
«For example, we realized that in addition to VR mode, we will also need MR (mixed reality mode). VR mode: the user is in a full virtual environment and can interact with interactive virtual objects. MR mode: the real environment is used as a training ground, where the user can interact with both real-world and digital objects,» adds Vladyslav Malyarchuk.
The startup founder predicts that with ready-made media materials, such as 360° videos and audio recordings, the development of the final version will take approximately two months.
«A fighter’s emotional preparation is no less important than physical skills, because the ability to work effectively in extreme situations is one of the key aspects of survival. After conducting interviews with combat instructors and psychologists, we confirmed the existence of such a problem as increased losses during the adaptation period, and we want to reduce them,» explains the CEO of the Heister VR startup.
Malyarchuk also detailed that they are currently considering several scenarios for obtaining financing in Ukraine: selling licenses through charitable organizations or creating a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for specific stages of project implementation. In the future, Heister VR plans to work on a B2G model. .
In the initial phase, Heister VR is promoting the product through thematic groups for the military and a network among brigade representatives and individual instructors who are interested in testing the product.
To launch MVP, the founder says, $5,000–$8,000 is needed: to record high-quality sound and cover the cost of ammunition for simulating shelling.
Previously, dev.ua wrote that Ukrainian startup HeisterVR received a grant of UAH 100,000 from Kiss My Apps to adapt military personnel to the battlefield using sound and augmented reality.
