Doron Precision Systems, Inc. [Booth 1165] is showcasing two of its advanced simulators at I/ITSEC 2023, where attendees can experience its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (550JLTVplus) and snow machine (550H2plus). Both simulators feature the company’s unique 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion system and high fidelity graphics.
“We are the world leader in land vehicle simulation,” said Mike Stricek, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Doron. “We have delivered more than 25,000 driving simulators to more than 60 countries, and we’re proud of that.”
While Doron’s business has been traditionally focused in the commercial arena, Stricek said the company has experienced unprecedented growth in land vehicle simulator sales to the Department of Defense [DoD] over the past several years. At I/ITSEC, he said, “We’re bringing a new simulator, the 550H2plus, which is a snow machine simulator. We’ve been getting a lot of interest from air bases all around the world, from the US Air Force, who have to remove snow from runways. These simulate those huge snow plows that you would see at a typical air base or a commercial airport.” In addition, Doron is utilizing I/ITSEC 2023 to highlight its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle simulator, the 550JLTVplus. The company has partnered with Oshkosh Defense, the original equipment manufacturer for JLTV, and is currently manufacturing and selling the simulator system.
“The JLTV is a very unique vehicle,” Stricek said. “For example, it has very limited visibility, so we created a visual system that recreates what a driver would see when they look out the window of the JLTV.”
He was quick to highlight a range of visual elements, from the quality of the graphics to the windshield look, offering, “When you’re sitting in this simulator, you’re going to be immersed within that simulation. You’re going to feel like you’re sitting behind the wheel of an actual JLTV. So the visual characteristics are the first key aspect of the system.”
The simulator also provides procedural training. For example, in starting the vehicle, Stricek explained, “You don’t just turn the key and start the engine. You have to go through certain procedures and operations. And of course, these vehicles are used in combat missions, so we’ve created very specific scenarios that train the warfighter how to maneuver this vehicle in a tactical or combat situation.”
With Doron’s advanced 3 DOF motion system, the simulator’s three axis motion base moves the entire simulator, so the student feels movement in the seat, dash, pedals, steering wheel and visual system. The result is a highly sophisticated driving simulator that accurately simulates the dynamics of the actual vehicle with unmatched realism. “Our motion system is a little unique in that we move the entire simulator,” Stricek asserted.
“With some of our competitors, their designs just move the seat and they keep the visual system stable. That’s simply not as realistic as moving the seat, the pedals, transmission, dashboard and the visual system. So just think about when you’re driving in your car, and you hit a pothole, your whole car goes up and down with a pothole, not just the seat. So, in the world of simulators, it’s a big deal for us because we are a huge differentiator with our commercial competitors. In the Department of Defense arena, everyone knows that one of the keys to realism is moving the entire simulator, with screens and everything else.”
He added that vehicle dynamics are also employed in the 550JLTVplus design, stating, “The Doron simulator has actual vehicle dynamics that replicate what you would feel in an actual vehicle. We can simulate different types of environments, such as snow, rain, mud, sand or water, and the vehicle dynamics will change with all those variants.”
The simulator’s three-axis motion base moves the entire simulator, so the student feels movement in the seat, dash, pedals, steering wheel and visual system.
In addition to its visual system match and procedural and performance training aspects, the 550JLTVplus addresses the reality of rollover accidents. The DoD continuously takes steps to mitigate and prevent accidents during tactical vehicle operations, and rollover accidents are a primary concern.
Stricek said the 550JLTVplus addresses that problem. “
We can actually simulate a rollover and show the conditions of that rollover and what you should do and shouldn’t do,” he said. “One of the key elements in saving the life of the warfighter is that we’re able to replicate an actual rollover as it would happen in a real vehicle.”
In his takeaway message to I/ITSEC attendees, he summarized, “First of all, we believe that they’re going to be very surprised by the technology that we’ve incorporated just within the last 12 months, as well as the graphics and the resolution characteristics. In fact, we think they are going to be blown away by our simulation. But I think more important than the graphics is the actual realism that they’re going to experience. They’re going to walk away saying, ‘Wow. This feels like the real vehicle.’ That’s because we dealt with the original equipment manufacturers. And they actually help us with the vehicle dynamics and the cosmetics and the visuals and so on, so it feels like the real thing. And that’s how we’re going to train our warfighters to become better drivers.”
