Oberon Technologies in Ann Arbor has designed an Apple Vision Pro commercial application to help boost employee safety and improve training efficiency in hazardous environments.
In collaboration with the independent, nonprofit energy R&D institute EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), Oberon has developed a spatial computing application for use with the Apple Vision Pro.
The application provides a more efficient and safe way to train and orient employees for work in nuclear facilities without the associated risk to themselves, the facilities, or the surrounding communities.
This new application provides an immersive, spatial environment with a virtual twin of a nuclear power plant where team members can train and test staff on proper identification of hazards and potential safety issues.
When using the virtual experience, users can familiarize themselves with the nuclear facility and standard procedures before going into the physical plant and avoid onsite risks. The fully immersive view also can help gauge emotional responses to confined spaces or heights.
“Our enterprise clients recognize the numerous benefits beyond safety during training,” says Scott Allen, CIO of Oberon Technologies. “The immersive environments allow users to experience in minutes what may take years to encounter and perfect in the field. The clarity and interactivity of the environment possible within the Apple Vision Pro provides a more realistic experience for trainees, increasing retention rates and recall.
“We have all seen the gaming capabilities using Apple’s technology. We believe leveraging the same immersive, spatial environment at a corporate level will be a game changer for the industrial enterprise clients that we support.”
While the cost of training employees is a major operating investment across industries, the energy industry sees an even higher investment due to often-hazardous work environments. Considerations like exposure to radiation, hazardous gases, high voltages, or even explosions often are points of concern for the overall safety of trainees.
The demand for highly skilled energy workers continues to grow, making efficiency of training and preservation of historical knowledge even more crucial to success for employers.
In addition to mitigating risk, VR training allows for additional benefits like increased locational awareness, knowledge retention, unlimited use, and the opportunity for in the moment and measurable feedback.
