Over the weekend I had the pleasure of being introduced to ChimeraXR, a Canadian company that is leading the way in Virtual Reality firearms training.
Although ChimeraXR probably has a longer list than me, I see the advantages of such a system are myriad.
1. Cost – It’s much less expensive than screen-based firearms training systems. Additionally, you don’t expend any ammunition and you don’t need a dedicated sysadmin/trainer. Theres also no travel costs to training ranges and there’s no need to build up physical training locations to replicate real world targets; all of it can built and adjusted on-the-fly in VR.
2. Safety – You don’t expose trainees to live fire until they are ready. Shooters can also train collaboratively from different locations even during a pandemic.
3. Scalability – Currently, Chimera can connect up to 40 participants in a single environment and they don’t even have to be in the same location.
4. Mobility – The system can be set up in as little as two minutes, allowing you to train anywhere, anytime.
4. Feedback – Shooters get immediate feedback from multiple points of view (including adversary) on how they performed. The are working to collect additional data such as physiological information while under stress.
This is not just a firearms training system. Due to its immersive nature, and ability for multiple users to interact, it’s also a tactics training and mission rehearsal system.
While ChimeraXR’s Mythos system includes an AR-style lower receiver which accepts the user’s upper receiver and enablers, they are working to integrate milsim systems along with other firearms training weapons which may be in use. Considering there are milsim weapons which accurately replicate firearms including blowback and facilitate mandatory magazine changes and simulate stoppages, the training becomes even more realistic.
I spent about half an hour in the training environment and I am very impressed. I was able to move around and engage targets, easily reset scenarios, and watch how easy it is to build new environments on the fly via the toggle and drag and drop menu options. The environment is also ballistically accurate meaning that barriers will properly react to projectiles.
I also learned that it is safe, (as long as you remember that cars and obstacles within the virtual environment aren’t real and can’t support your weight). If you reach the limits of your real world environment such as an actual wall which doesn’t exist within VR, you transition from VR to the real world within your goggles and see the environment as it is.
With so few CQB shoothouses available, this brings training to the shooter’s location. What’s more, the technology can be utilized by armed citizens just as readily as military and law enforcement. With ammunition so scarce and expensive, ChimeraXR provides a realistic training alternative.
Finally, ChimeraXR is a training option for Centrifuge Training customers, with systems already in use in both the US and Canada.
