BBN Technologies

Virtual Environment Simulation for Training Ship Handling Perceptual and Motor Skills

Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) creates a virtual environment simulation where officers can learn and practice the perceptual and motor skills needed for ship handling in a variety of realistic settings. COVE focuses on ship handling skills that depend on Seaman's Eye, which encompasses understanding ship dynamics, interpreting perceptual cues and other information available to a Conning Officer on the bridge, and applying rules-of-thumb for knowing how to anticipate and respond to situations that arise while maneuvering.

COVE Virtual Environment

• Replicates the visual and aural cues used by a Conning Officer
• Accurately simulates ship hydrodynamics, ship interaction forces, sea-keeping motions, and the look of the sea
• Supports natural spoken interaction between the Conning Officer and a virtual helmsman, who responds to commands just as a human helmsman is trained to do

COVE Tutoring System

• Manages a varied curriculum of scenarios and measures each student's performance against expert levels of ability in the scenarios
• Provides coaching during each practice session
• Offers opportunities for review and remediation
• Assesses individual competence in the skills composing Seaman's Eye

COVE Benefits

• Reduces the risk of serious accident inherent in on-the-job training
• Provides ample opportunities to practice Seaman's Eye skills
• Provides individualized instruction and feedback to accelerate learning and aid in refreshing skills without reliance on an instructor
• Is less expensive than contractor-supplied training
• Can be deployed in the schoolhouse and in the fleet, eliminating the need to travel for training, and thereby saving time and money
• Provides individualized training tailored to the skill level of individual students
• Reduces the need for instructors to be present throughout all practice sessions
• Eliminates the need for other crewmembers to be present during practice sessions
• Incorporates measures of performance to assess and diagnose skill acquisition objectively