According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Department of Defense is making artificial intelligence (AI) research a “top priority” by investing approximately $1.5 billion in AI projects over the next five years at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA). Machine learning (ML), a subfield of AI, has quickly become critical in fields such as engineering, learning association, and medicine due to its ability to produce adaptable models that can perform a variety of complex tasks. Recently, ML has been leveraged to produce enormous benefits in extended reality (XR) enabled environments including education and training. However, understanding the vast field of ML and its utilization in training systems can be extremely challenging. Miscomprehension can lead to poor management and development activities that result in more costly and underwhelming training solutions. Grasping ML fundamentals and emerging concepts, and its application to XR will empower managers to make appropriate strategic and costing decisions and allow designers, developers, and engineers to successfully implement effective training systems.
This tutorial will expand on last year’s overview of ML technologies to include emerging concepts, methods, software, and hardware, while detailing how these can be integrated into XR education and training environments. The presentation will highlight examples demonstrating ML’s use in design, testing, and optimizing XR training systems with a variety of simulation engines and hardware devices. Additionally, this tutorial will evaluate each example’s efficacy of incorporating the technology to aide in warfighter training by improving efficiency, reducing costs and training time, and sustainability.
This tutorial is for a wide range of stakeholders from those interested in gaining a basic understanding of ML for administrative level decision making to those who want detailed methods and integrations within XR-enabled training environments to gain specific performance improvements.
Keywords
DEEP LEARNING, IMMERSIVE, MACHINE LEARNING, MIXED REALITY, TRAINING