ForgeFX Simulations to Sponsor, Speak, and Exhibit at the 2026 Augmented Enterprise Summit

 

ForgeFX Simulations is proud to announce that we will be participating as a sponsor, speaker, and exhibitor at this year’s Augmented Enterprise Summit, an event by BrainXChange, taking place October 13–15, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. As immersive technology continues to transform how organizations train, upskill, and prepare their workforce, we’re excited to join enterprise leaders, technology innovators, and training professionals for a focused conversation on the future of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality in the workplace.

For more than 20 years, ForgeFX Simulations has been developing custom simulation-based training solutions that help companies bring complex equipment, high-risk procedures, and mission-critical workflows into safe, repeatable, hands-on virtual environments. At the Augmented Enterprise Summit, we’ll be showcasing how immersive simulators can help organizations reduce training costs, improve knowledge retention, increase operator confidence, and give teams realistic experience long before they step onto a job site, into the field, or in front of a physical machine.

As an exhibitor, we invite attendees to visit ForgeFX and experience our training simulators firsthand. Our team will be demonstrating how interactive 3D environments, VR-based training, equipment simulation, and performance-driven learning tools can be used to support workforce readiness across industries such as heavy equipment, energy, manufacturing, defense, construction, and industrial operations. Whether the goal is onboarding new employees, standardizing procedures, improving safety, or giving experienced workers a better way to practice complex tasks, immersive simulation offers a powerful path forward.

We’re also honored to contribute to the event as a speaker, sharing insights from real-world simulation projects and discussing how organizations can successfully adopt immersive training technologies at scale. From identifying the right training use cases to designing effective virtual experiences, measuring learning outcomes, and integrating simulators into existing workforce development programs, we look forward to helping attendees explore practical strategies for turning immersive technology into meaningful operational impact.

ForgeFX is excited to support the Augmented Enterprise Summit as a sponsor and to be part of a community dedicated to advancing the next generation of enterprise training. We look forward to connecting with industry leaders, learning from fellow innovators, and demonstrating why the future of workforce training is immersive. Visit us in Atlanta this October to meet the ForgeFX Simulations team, see our work in action, and discover how custom-built immersive simulators can help prepare your workforce for what comes next.

Ready to see what immersive workforce training looks like in action? Join ForgeFX Simulations at the 2026 Augmented Enterprise Summit in Atlanta and experience our custom VR and simulation-based training solutions firsthand. Visit our exhibitor page to learn more, connect with our team, and make plans to stop by: https://augmentedenterprise2026.expofp.com/?forgefx-simulations

ForgeFX Expands Access to U.S. Army CBRN Drone Pilot Training Simulator

Biological threat detection missions leave little room for uncertainty. When warfighters are asked to operate unmanned aircraft systems, manage sensor payloads, interpret environmental readings, and support high-consequence reconnaissance operations, they need more than classroom familiarity. They need practice. They need repetition. They need realistic mission conditions that allow them to build confidence before they are asked to perform in the field.

That is why ForgeFX Simulations is proud to announce that we have been awarded a U.S. Army subcontract to expand access to our CBRN drone pilot training simulator, developed in partnership with MRIGlobal. Under this new effort, ForgeFX will convert its fielded Unmanned Vehicle Tele-Operation Training Simulator into a browser-based application delivered through the Joint Acquisition CBRN Knowledge System, or JACKS, the Army’s authoritative training and information channel for CBRN personnel.

This next phase represents an important step forward for scalable simulation-based training. By moving the simulator from dedicated workstation deployments to secure browser-based access, the program is designed to make high-fidelity CBRN drone training more accessible to authorized personnel, while reducing the logistical, technical, and operational barriers that can limit hands-on practice.

ForgeFX Simulations’ CBRND UAS drone teleoperation training simulator supports realistic, simulation-based training for biological threat detection and CBRN mission readiness.

Training for a Mission Where Realism Matters

The simulator trains UAS pilots, sensor operators, and mission commanders to remotely operate the Teledyne FLIR R80D Skyraider drone while using the MUVE B330 Continuous Biological Detector and Collector to detect and collect airborne biological contamination samples.

In a real mission environment, those tasks require coordination, precision, and disciplined decision-making. Operators must understand how the aircraft behaves, how the sensor responds, how contamination zones change relative to drone position, and how mission progress should be managed through each phase of the reconnaissance cycle. They also need to understand the limitations of the equipment and the consequences of missed steps, poor positioning, or delayed action.

Live training for these types of scenarios is inherently constrained. Physical CBRN systems are specialized, expensive, and not always available for repeated training. Live aerosol testing introduces cost, safety, scheduling, and environmental limitations. Dedicated training workstations can be effective, but they can also restrict when and where personnel are able to train.

Simulation changes that equation.

A well-designed training simulator gives learners a safe, repeatable environment where they can practice real procedures with realistic equipment behavior. It allows users to experience mission flow, interpret sensor feedback, make operational decisions, and learn from mistakes without exposing people, equipment, or facilities to unnecessary risk. For high-stakes CBRN missions, that combination of realism and repeatability is critical.

From Dedicated Workstations to Browser-Based Access

The new subcontract focuses on expanding access. ForgeFX will adapt the existing Unmanned Vehicle Tele-Operation Training Simulator into a browser-based application, making it available through JACKS for authorized CBRN personnel.

That shift is significant because accessibility is often one of the biggest challenges in specialized military training. Even when a simulator is highly effective, training value can be limited if users must travel to specific locations, access dedicated hardware, or rely on locally installed software. Browser-based deployment helps reduce those barriers by allowing approved users to access training through a centralized platform without requiring local installation or specialized workstation setups.

For CBRN units, this creates a more scalable training model. Personnel can prepare more consistently. Updates can be managed more efficiently. New lessons, scenario changes, refinements, and future enhancements can be distributed more easily. Instead of treating simulation as a tool available only in limited training environments, the browser-based model helps position it as an operational readiness resource that can reach a broader authorized audience.

As ForgeFX CEO and Co-Founder Greg Meyers noted in the announcement, the effort is about removing barriers between the warfighter and the training they need. The project takes a high-fidelity simulator built around real equipment, real procedures, and real mission conditions, and makes it available through a secure browser without local installation or specialized hardware. That changes the economics of military training and gives CBRN units a more scalable way to build readiness for high-consequence missions.

Built Around Real Equipment, Real Procedures, and Real Mission Conditions

The simulator was originally developed by ForgeFX and MRIGlobal in close partnership with Teledyne FLIR, manufacturer of both the R80D Skyraider UAS and the MUVE B330 sensor. Teledyne FLIR provided technical documentation and unclassified test data, and hosted ForgeFX engineers at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah to observe live Skyraider and Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle aerosol detection testing.

That level of collaboration matters. In simulation-based training, visual realism is only part of the challenge. A mission trainer must also reproduce operational logic, procedural flow, system behavior, environmental response, and the user interface patterns that learners will encounter when operating real systems.

For this program, ForgeFX created an interactive training environment in which the simulated B330 sensor responds dynamically to the drone’s position relative to simulated contamination zones. That gives learners a more meaningful training experience than static instruction alone. They are not simply reading about sensor behavior; they are seeing how mission decisions influence sensor response, how positioning affects detection, and how procedural accuracy contributes to mission success.

The simulator also incorporates the broader mission workflow. Learners move through a curriculum that covers the reconnaissance mission cycle, including UAS launch, waypoint navigation using the Android Team Awareness Kit, aerosol sampling, and post-mission close-out. An unguided capstone mission then presents a randomized contamination scenario and scores performance.

This structure supports both guided learning and independent assessment. Trainees can build familiarity step by step, then demonstrate competency in a scenario where they must apply what they have learned without relying on scripted guidance.

Why Simulation Is Essential for CBRN Readiness

CBRN training presents a difficult combination of challenges. The equipment is specialized. The operating environment is complex. The consequences of error can be severe. The scenarios that matter most are often difficult, expensive, or unsafe to reproduce in live training.

Traditional instruction can teach concepts and procedures, but operational readiness requires practice. Warfighters need to rehearse the timing, coordination, and decision-making required in real missions. They need to experience changing conditions. They need to repeat procedures until they become familiar. They need to make mistakes in an environment where those mistakes become learning opportunities instead of operational hazards.

Simulation-based training directly addresses those needs.

A simulator can recreate mission conditions that would be difficult or impractical to reproduce in the field. It can expose trainees to varied contamination scenarios, environmental conditions, mission paths, system responses, and performance outcomes. It can standardize instruction across users and locations while still allowing scenarios to vary enough to test judgment and adaptability. It can also capture performance data that helps instructors identify skill gaps and reinforce best practices.

For CBRN drone operations, this is especially valuable. UAS pilots and sensor operators must understand both aircraft control and payload behavior. They must coordinate movement, sampling, and mission objectives while interpreting data and responding to changing conditions. Simulation allows those skills to be practiced together, rather than taught as disconnected pieces of information.

A Multi-Year Collaboration Supporting Defense Training

This subcontract builds on a multi-year collaboration between ForgeFX and MRIGlobal supporting CBRN defense simulation for the U.S. Army. The two organizations previously delivered an unmanned ground vehicle teleoperation trainer for the same NBCRV program, followed by the full Unmanned Vehicle Tele-Operation Training Simulator that serves as the foundation for this new browser-based deployment.

ForgeFX and MRIGlobal have also delivered the CBRND HoloTrainer, a mixed-reality device training suite for CBRN Special Operations Forces under a separate engagement supporting CPE CBRND’s Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Special Operations Forces. Each effort has built on shared technical foundations, domain knowledge, and a commitment to creating simulation systems that reflect the complexity of real-world CBRN operations.

For ForgeFX, that continuity is important. Defense training simulators are not one-off visualizations. They are evolving systems that must reflect real equipment, real procedures, and the changing needs of training organizations. Each project strengthens the next by expanding the team’s understanding of CBRN workflows, military training requirements, user experience design, and scalable deployment strategies.

The Future of Scalable Military Training

The move toward browser-based access reflects a broader shift in simulation-based training. Organizations increasingly need training systems that are not only realistic, but also scalable, maintainable, measurable, and easier to deploy across distributed user populations.

In defense environments, those needs are especially urgent. Training must keep pace with new equipment, evolving mission requirements, and distributed personnel. Units need consistent access to high-quality training without always relying on physical equipment, live-test environments, or dedicated local installations. Instructors need tools that can support both guided learning and performance evaluation. Program managers need platforms that can be updated efficiently as requirements change.

Simulation helps meet those needs by turning complex equipment and mission procedures into repeatable digital training experiences. Browser-based delivery extends that value by making those experiences easier to distribute to the people who need them.

This does not replace the importance of live training or hands-on experience with real systems. Instead, it strengthens the overall training pipeline. Simulation gives learners a place to build familiarity, practice procedures, develop confidence, and make mistakes safely before moving into higher-cost or higher-risk training environments. When used strategically, it can make live training more productive because trainees arrive better prepared.

ForgeFX’s Commitment to Mission-Ready Simulation

For more than two decades, ForgeFX Simulations has developed immersive 3D training solutions for organizations operating complex equipment, procedures, and mission environments. Across industries including defense, heavy equipment, energy, healthcare, aviation, and manufacturing, our work is centered on a consistent goal: helping people learn by doing, safely and effectively, before they perform in the real world.

This subcontract continues that mission. By expanding access to CBRN drone pilot training through a secure browser-based deployment, ForgeFX and MRIGlobal are helping support a more scalable model for warfighter readiness. The program combines high-fidelity simulation, real equipment behavior, structured curriculum, scenario-based assessment, and modern deployment architecture to address one of the most important challenges in advanced military training: getting realistic practice into the hands of more authorized users, more efficiently.

CBRN missions demand precision. Drone-based biological threat detection requires coordination, confidence, and procedural discipline. Simulation gives warfighters a way to build those capabilities before the mission depends on them.

ForgeFX is honored to support this effort alongside MRIGlobal, Teledyne FLIR, and the U.S. Army CBRN defense community, and we look forward to continuing our work at the intersection of immersive training, mission readiness, and scalable defense simulation.

Additional Industry Coverage

ForgeFX’s U.S. Army CBRN drone training subcontract has also been covered by defense, unmanned systems, CBRN, and government-contracting industry publications. These articles provide additional context on the program’s role in expanding access to browser-based simulation training for biological threat detection missions, as well as its relevance to UAS readiness, CBRN defense, and modern military training infrastructure.

• Defense Advancement — “Drone Pilots to Receive Web-Based Biological Threat Detection Training”
  A defense-industry article highlighting the subcontract, the transition to browser-based training, and the simulator’s role in supporting airborne biological threat detection readiness.
• UAS Weekly — “ForgeFX and MRIGlobal Expand U.S. Army Drone Pilot Training for CBRN and Biological Threat Detection Missions”
  Drone and unmanned systems coverage focused on the UAS training aspects of the program, including the R80D Skyraider, MUVE B330 sensor, and CBRN mission workflow.
• CBRNe World — “ForgeFX Simulations and MRIGlobal Expand Access to U.S. Army Drone Pilot Training for Biological Threat Detection”
  CBRN-focused industry coverage placing the announcement in front of readers who follow chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive defense technologies.
• SamSearch — “U.S. Army Enhances CBRN Drone Training with New Browser-Based Simulator”
  A government-contracting market-intelligence brief summarizing the award, key agencies and vendors, and the broader procurement signals around simulation software, UAS technology, and CBRN training.
• ACCESS Newswire — Official Press Release
  The original announcement from ForgeFX Simulations detailing the subcontract, program partners, training objectives, and browser-based deployment through JACKS.

As access to advanced simulation-based training continues to expand, ForgeFX Simulations remains committed to developing realistic, scalable, and mission-focused training solutions that help prepare personnel for complex real-world operations. This subcontract with MRIGlobal reflects the growing importance of browser-based training, unmanned systems readiness, and CBRN defense preparedness, while reinforcing ForgeFX’s role in delivering immersive simulation technology for high-consequence environments.

The Operational ROI of Simulation-Based Training: Why Industry Leaders Are Investing in Custom Training Simulators

As industrial systems become more sophisticated and workforce challenges intensify, organizations are reevaluating how they train operators, technicians, and field personnel. Traditional workforce development methods—classroom instruction, printed manuals, shadowing senior employees, and limited access to live equipment—remain important, but they are increasingly insufficient for modern operational demands.

Across industries including construction, manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, utilities, aviation, logistics, healthcare, and defense, organizations are adopting simulation-based training to improve workforce readiness while reducing operational risk and long-term training costs.

Modern custom training simulators are no longer viewed simply as emerging technology or “VR experiences.” They are increasingly being implemented as strategic operational systems capable of improving safety, accelerating onboarding, standardizing procedures, preserving institutional knowledge, and generating measurable return on investment (ROI).

For many organizations, the question is no longer whether simulation-based training is effective. The focus has shifted toward how much operational value simulation can deliver at scale.

Reducing Equipment Damage and Operational Risk

One of the most immediate benefits of simulation-based training is the reduction of costly operator errors.

Reduced Equipment Damage & Operational Risk

Industrial equipment often represents significant capital investment. Cranes, mining haul trucks, drilling systems, aircraft support equipment, manufacturing machinery, and utility infrastructure can each cost hundreds of thousands—or millions—of dollars to purchase and maintain.

Training incidents involving live equipment can result in:

• Equipment damage
• Production interruptions
• OSHA violations
• Environmental incidents
• Insurance claims
• Worker injuries
• Legal liability
• Reputational damage

Simulation-based training enables operators to gain experience and make mistakes in a controlled virtual environment before interacting with live machinery. Trainees can repeatedly practice critical procedures such as:

• Equipment startup and shutdown
• Hazard recognition
• Emergency response
• Lockout/tagout procedures
• Failure recovery
• Maintenance operations
• Complex sequencing tasks
• Safe equipment positioning

In a simulator, failure becomes a learning opportunity rather than a costly operational event. For many organizations, avoiding even a single major incident can justify the investment in a custom simulator platform.

Accelerating Workforce Onboarding and Skill Development

Many industries are facing labor shortages, increasing turnover, and the retirement of experienced personnel. Organizations are under pressure to bring new employees to operational competency faster than traditional training systems typically allow.

Faster Workforce Onboarding

Simulation-based training accelerates onboarding by allowing trainees to begin developing practical experience immediately—without waiting for live equipment availability, field scheduling, or production downtime.

Because simulators support unlimited repetition in a low-risk environment, trainees can develop:

• Procedural familiarity
• Muscle memory
• Situational awareness
• Operational confidence
• Decision-making skills

more rapidly than through passive instruction alone.

Unlike field-based training, simulation environments are not constrained by weather, production schedules, equipment access, or instructor availability. Organizations can train continuously and consistently, improving time-to-proficiency across the workforce.

Minimizing Equipment Downtime During Training

Training on live production equipment introduces a persistent operational conflict: equipment must either generate revenue or be taken offline for workforce development.

Reduced Equipment Downtime

Simulation-based training significantly reduces this conflict by allowing operators to train without interrupting operations or removing equipment from service.

Organizations can conduct training without:

• Consuming fuel
• Causing equipment wear
• Interrupting production schedules
• Reserving large training yards
• Restricting operational availability

This is particularly valuable in industries where equipment utilization directly impacts profitability, including:

• Mining
• Construction
• Oil & gas
• Manufacturing
• Aviation ground operations
• Utilities

By separating training activities from production equipment, organizations can maintain operational continuity while still expanding workforce capabilities.

Lowering Training Costs at Enterprise Scale

Traditional instructor-led training becomes increasingly expensive as organizations scale geographically.

Lower Training Costs at Scale

Operational training programs often require expenditures related to:

• Instructor travel
• Lodging and per diem
• Training facilities
• Equipment transportation
• Fuel consumption
• Printed training materials
• Site coordination
• Safety supervision

Custom simulation platforms allow organizations to centralize and standardize training delivery across multiple locations and departments.

Once deployed, a simulator can support training for:

• New hires
• Experienced operators
• Maintenance personnel
• Dealers and distributors
• Safety teams
• Field technicians
• Customers and end users

Simulation systems can also be deployed across a variety of environments, including corporate training centers, classrooms, dealerships, mobile training trailers, and remote networked systems.

This scalability creates long-term cost efficiencies that are difficult to achieve with traditional training models alone.

Improving Knowledge Retention Through Experiential Learning

Traditional training methods frequently rely on passive learning approaches such as manuals, lectures, and presentation-based instruction. While valuable for foundational knowledge, these methods often struggle to produce high retention rates and operational confidence.

Better Knowledge Retention 

Simulation-based training creates active learning environments where trainees directly engage with procedures and systems.

Rather than simply receiving information, trainees:

• Perform tasks
• Make operational decisions
• Solve problems
• Experience consequences
• Interact with equipment systems in real time

Experiential learning has consistently been shown to improve retention and practical skill transfer compared to passive instructional methods.

Immersive simulation environments also tend to increase trainee engagement, participation, focus, and confidence—factors that directly influence long-term workforce performance.

Standardizing Training Across Global Operations

Large organizations often struggle with inconsistent training delivery between instructors, facilities, regions, and business units.

Standardized Training Across the Organization

Over time, localized practices and tribal knowledge can create procedural variation that affects safety, compliance, and operational quality.

Simulation-based training platforms enable organizations to standardize:

• Operational procedures
• Safety protocols
• Maintenance workflows
• Equipment usage standards
• Compliance training
• Assessment criteria

This ensures that trainees receive consistent instruction regardless of geography, instructor, language, or facility location.

For multinational organizations, training standardization can improve operational consistency while supporting broader compliance and quality assurance initiatives.

Preserving Institutional Knowledge

A growing percentage of experienced operators and technicians are approaching retirement, creating significant knowledge transfer challenges across many industries.

When experienced personnel leave the workforce, organizations risk losing decades of operational expertise, troubleshooting experience, and field-tested best practices.

Custom simulation platforms provide a mechanism for preserving this institutional knowledge by embedding subject matter expertise directly into the training system itself.

Organizations can incorporate:

• Best practices
• Failure scenarios
• Troubleshooting workflows
• Safety habits
• Operational judgment
• Real-world environmental conditions

into scalable training content that remains available for future generations of workers.

This transforms expertise from an individual asset into an organizational capability.

Safely Training for High-Risk and Low-Frequency Scenarios

Some operational scenarios are too dangerous, too costly, or too rare to recreate safely in real-world training environments.

• Examples include:
• Equipment rollovers
• Hydraulic system failures
• Electrical faults
• Fires and explosions
• Hazardous material incidents
• Severe weather operations
• Emergency shutdown procedures
• Underground collapses

Simulation enables organizations to repeatedly train for these scenarios without exposing personnel, infrastructure, or equipment to actual danger.

This improves workforce preparedness while strengthening overall safety performance and emergency response capability.

Leveraging Real-Time Analytics and Performance Data

Modern simulation systems can automatically capture detailed trainee performance metrics during training exercises.

• Organizations can measure:
• Completion times
• Error rates
• Safety violations
• Procedural compliance
• Reaction times
• Assessment scores
• Decision-making patterns
• Learning progression over time

This transforms training from a subjective process into a measurable operational system.

Training managers gain visibility into workforce competency trends, certification progress, readiness levels, and recurring skill gaps—enabling continuous improvement across both training programs and operational procedures.

Multi-Platform Deployment Flexibility

Modern simulation systems are no longer limited to a single hardware platform.

Custom training simulators can often deploy across:

• Virtual reality (VR) headsets
• Mixed reality (MR) devices
• Desktop workstations
• Touchscreen kiosks
• Projection systems
• Mobile tablets
• Physical simulator hardware

This flexibility allows organizations to align deployment strategies with operational constraints, facility requirements, technical infrastructure, and workforce demographics.

A single simulation platform can often support multiple deployment environments simultaneously, improving scalability and long-term adaptability.

Repurposing Existing Training Assets

Many organizations already possess extensive libraries of technical and training content, including:

• CAD models
• SOP documentation
• Maintenance manuals
• Engineering specifications
• Instructor curriculum
• Safety documentation
• Video libraries
• OEM technical data

These existing assets can frequently be repurposed into interactive simulation environments rather than recreated from scratch.

Leveraging current training materials reduces development time and cost while maximizing the value of prior investments in training infrastructure and technical documentation.

Supporting Sustainability and ESG Initiatives

Simulation-based training can also contribute to broader sustainability and environmental goals.

By reducing reliance on live equipment during training, organizations can decrease:

• Fuel consumption
• Equipment emissions
• Material waste
• Physical consumables
• Travel requirements
• Training-related wear and tear

For organizations pursuing ESG objectives or sustainability initiatives, simulation offers an opportunity to improve operational efficiency while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.

Workforce Readiness as a Competitive Advantage

Organizations that train more effectively often operate more effectively.

• Well-trained employees typically:
• Make fewer operational errors
• Work more safely
• Require less supervision
• Adapt more quickly to new systems
• Operate equipment more efficiently
• Learn procedures faster

As industries become increasingly competitive and technologically advanced, workforce readiness itself becomes a strategic differentiator.

Simulation-based training enables organizations to scale expertise more rapidly and consistently than traditional training methods alone.

Simulation Platforms as Long-Term Operational Infrastructure

One of the most significant advantages of custom simulation systems is their ability to evolve over time.

Unlike one-time training events, simulation platforms can expand to support:

• New equipment models
• Updated operational procedures
• Additional languages
• Multiplayer collaboration
• Remote instruction
• Advanced analytics
• AI-driven adaptive learning
• Evolving compliance requirements

Over time, the simulator becomes more than a training tool. It becomes a long-term operational platform that supports workforce development, safety, compliance, and organizational resilience.

The Future of Industrial Workforce Training

The future of workforce development is increasingly immersive, measurable, scalable, and data-driven.

Organizations investing in simulation-based training are not simply purchasing software or hardware. They are investing in:

• Operational efficiency
• Workforce readiness
• Safety improvement
• Knowledge preservation
• Training scalability
• Standardization
• Long-term resilience

As industrial systems continue to grow more complex and experienced workforce shortages intensify, simulation-based training is becoming one of the most strategically valuable investments organizations can make.

Companies that adopt these technologies early are positioning themselves not only to train more effectively—but to operate more effectively as well.