🚀 ForgeFX Simulations is thrilled to announce that we will be exhibiting at BrainXchange's Augmented Enterprise Summit (AES) 2024 in Dallas, Texas, from October 15-17, where we'll be showcasing our cutting-edge Meta Quest-based virtual trainers within the Meta booth (401).
Don’t miss the chance to experience firsthand how our innovative simulation solutions can transform training and operations within your organization.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and visited ForgeFX Simulations at Industrial IMMERSIVE in Houston last week! Industrial IMMERSIVE is an initiative focused on transforming the Industrial, Energy, and Engineering sectors through the use of immersive technology.
We had a great time exhibiting with Meta, demonstrating the mixed reality training simulator that ForgeFX Simulations built for JLG Industries, and discussing the significant business advantages of Meta for Work and Meta for Business!
“With welding, you can do anything,” she says. “I liked that it didn’t feel like it locked me in anywhere—if I wanted to go and do iron work and build huge structures, I could do that. And if I wanted to go to an auto shop, I could do that. Even Disneyland has their own welders. I could do art on the side or make furniture work for myself, make gates, these beautiful structures and creative sculptures. I could do anything.”
Of course, as with any trade, hours upon hours of practice are required to achieve a state of mastery—and it’s in that development of muscle memory where VR truly shines.
“Everything used to be hands-on—everything was in the classroom,”
Explains Alex Declair, who works for RSI—a StrataTech Education Group school, which tapped ForgeFX Simulations to develop a VR application based on their training and curriculum.
“It was very traditional. And as soon as COVID hit, we were in a scramble, doing our best to take care of our students and get them to learn what they needed. But you can’t just send a welding machine home with a student to weld, you know. You have to have a lot of electricity, a lot of materials, consumables, and it just wasn't feasible. So our CEO Mary Kelly jumped on VR right away. We can give a Meta Quest headset to every one of our students, and they can take it home and learn how to weld.”
ForgeFX Simulations is honored to be a simulator developer for Somero Enterprises, Inc., a company that specializes in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of concrete leveling equipment and technology for the construction industry. Their product range includes laser-guided and technologically advanced machinery designed to significantly improve the efficiency, precision, and quality of concrete flooring and surface finishing. ForgeFX Simulations works with Somero® to build a laser screed machine training simulator that empowers operators to conduct safe and cost-effective virtual training. A Laser Screed® machine is a specialized piece of equipment used in the construction industry for leveling large areas of concrete with high precision, that employs laser technology as a reference to control the position of the leveling head accurately during the concrete pouring process.
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| Somero Enterprises Laser Screed® Meta Quest Simulator by ForgeFX Simulations |
Somero is passionate about the success of their customers, which is why they have created the Somero Concrete Institute, a comprehensive training facility dedicated to providing education on Somero’s products and offering unparalleled education and support. The S-22 EZ Laser Screed Training Simulator, developed by ForgeFX Simulations, will be the latest training experience to be offered by Somero, as they strive to deliver unparalleled learning opportunities through a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical, hands-on training.
ForgeFX Simulations works closely with Somero subject matter experts to develop their S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed® Machine Simulator training program. This highly realistic, interactive, and engaging training simulation application significantly enhances the learning of operators by immersing them in a fully virtual environment that contains a detailed and accurate digital 3D replica of the S-22 Laser Screed® Machine. Taking advantage of Meta’s Quest mixed reality hardware, the simulator delivers users simulated physical controls, buttons, and feedback mechanisms that afford the ability to rapidly become familiar with the machine, learn and master the controls and maintenance techniques, and comprehend the fundamentals of using the equipment properly and effectively. Utilizing Meta Quest’s superior hand-tracking capabilities provides for a more fully immersive experience, where users have a greater sense of presence and agency.
Learn more: https://forgefx.com/simulation-projects/laser-screed-machine-training-simulator/
We are thrilled to have some of our latest VR training simulator work featured by Meta!
Demonstrating how new immersive technologies are already having an impact today, the VR welding training simulator that ForgeFX developed for StrataTech Education Group and the Tulsa Welding is expanding access for students and preparing them for the future. The positive impact of immersive technologies is already apparent, and as metaverse technologies continue to progress, we expect even more opportunities will emerge to maximize the benefits of these innovations.
Tulsa Welding School’s virtual reality training simulator, powered by ForgeFX Simulations, is expanding access for students and preparing them for the future. Learn more about how the metaverse is having impact today: https://about.meta.com/metaverse/impact/
ForgeFX Simulations is proud to be a training simulator development partner of StrataTech Education Group, a company that focuses on the acquisition, growth and development of specialized career education schools, particularly skilled-trade programs designed to address the nation’s growing infrastructure needs. ForgeFX worked with StrataTech and their subsidiary, the Tulsa Welding School, to develop OcuWeld™, a virtual reality welding training simulator program that teaches students how to prep, grind and join materials in a virtual environment that removes the safety and cost concerns.
Welcome to the digital transformation of education! The OcuWeld™ welding training simulator utilizes virtual reality to enhance welding training programs using the Meta Quest VR device. Designed by welders for welders, and developed by seasoned ForgeFX Simulations developers, OcuWeld provides welding students with the opportunity to practice their hands-on training in a virtual environment where concerns about safety, access and cost are no longer relevant. OcuWeld immerses students in a virtual environment that mimics real life training experiences and provides the opportunity to practice skills independently.
StrataTech has integrated OcuWeld into the curricula of their subsidiaries, Tulsa Welding School and The Refrigeration School, to ensure that students have future-proof skills that employers are seeking. The program launches at a time when demand for skilled trade workers is at an all-time high in part due to the recently passed Infrastructure Bill. The bill, combined with President Biden’s Build Back Framework, will add an average of 1.5 million jobs per year for the next 10 years, according to The White House.
The growing pace of digitization is shifting the paradigm of education to lifelong learning that requires a continual evolution of technical skills and training. Alex DeClair and Chris Schuler, directors of the welding programs at The Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI) and Tulsa Welding School (TWS), say today’s students have different needs, and infusing technology into programs is now imperative in the modern education space. Similarly, Chase Lane, VP of Transformation for StrataTech, understands the need for digital transformation in education and its role in addressing the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.
“It’s time that higher education meets the needs of its students rather than vice versa,” said Lane. “Digital is transforming education and ensuring that these technological advances reach the skilled trades is extremely important to StrataTech and vital to the growing needs of our labor force.”
OcuWeld engages students with a mixture of gamification and education. Students enjoy learning in a fun and highly interactive and dynamic environment that mimics real-world applications.
“As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that we infuse technology into our programs and curriculum to meet the changing needs of our students and their future employers,” said Mary Kelly, President/CEO of StrataTech. “OcuWeld will not only help our students get additional training, it will also position them to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals.”
Read the full OcuWeld Business Wire press release.
