Industry leading oil and gas simulation training

Believed to be a first for the chemical industry in the UK, a 6-metre Igloo was installed at the Saltend refinery in Hull, April 2015.

The solution offers an alternative approach to training. Through lidar scanning and a detailed texturing process, we replicated the plant digitally to an extremely accurate level of detail.

Using the facility, field technicians can practice safety critical tasks, such as safe startup and emergency shut-down procedures, in a virtual production plant. This is integrated with BP’s existing fully dynamic process simulator and its Honeywell control room simulator, which means that the competence of whole shift teams can be assessed and influenced by trainers for the first time. In terms of increased safety, reliability and capability, the potential impact is enormous.

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Using Shared VR training to develop a highly engaged and well-prepared workforce

Lanes Group, which manages a 68,000-mile wastewater network for Thames Water, wanted to find a way to fast-track the training of its maintenance teams – by immersing them in life-like scenarios.

We worked with them to create a smart training facility based on a custom-built 7-metre cylinder.

In batches of 15 people at a time, new recruits are able to interact with more than 40 training films. Since the introduction of the Igloo, Lanes has reported on more effective training and improved retention of new recruits.

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Changing the way training works with Shared VR

Loughborough University’s Department of Chemical Engineering is using Shared VR to
teach graduate students about the realities of working in a live process plant.

The Igloo dome is now tightly integrated into the Department’s graduate curriculum. In
particular, students use it to understand the interplay between control room operations and field operations. They also use it to get a clear understanding of safety implications – for example, by deliberately upsetting processes to see the effects, without risking the disastrous consequences that would ensue in the real world.

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Using Shared VR for applied innovation

Medtronic’s Applied Innovation Lab is a collaboration hub for employees, customers, healthcare providers, and other partners.

The 2,200 square foot space is a vibrant and dynamic space - always changing, depending what projects are in the works. Simulated environments, such as a patient’s living room or a hospital emergency room containing a bed and patient monitors are created to scale.

But there are environments that cannot be completely experienced in a corner of the lab. That’s where the Applied Innovation Lab’s signature feature comes into play. It’s a retractable, 6-metre Igloo cylinder, that can transport a project team anywhere in the world - from inside the waiting room of a hypertension clinic in Ghana, to the Medtronic training centre in São Paulo, Brazil.

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Creating the GORE-TEX® SURROUND® 5D experience

To support the GORE-TEX® Surround footwear campaign, we helped to create a fully immersive, 360° 5D experience in the main atrium, Westfield London.

The GORE-TEX® SURROUND® 5D experience kitted out visitors with GORE-TEX® footwear and then exposed them to the elements, including wind & rain, as they experienced 5D simulations of some of the UK’s most stunning natural beauty spots.

The first location was Henrhyd Falls, the tallest waterfall in southern Wales, boasting a spectacular 90-foot drop over the edge of a rugged rock formation. Visitors could also experience the historic beauty spot of Malham Cove in North Yorkshire, with a chance to see the amazing panoramic views from the clifftop, standing at around 260-feet high. GORE-TEX® also ran a competition throughout the activation, giving away a pair of men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes every day.

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Shared VR tunnel for the 2016 London Boat Show

Working closely with Drive Productions, we designed and installed the 20-channel immersive projection system for the London Boat Show's 4D Experience Tunnel.

The concept was to drop the audience into the middle of the ocean by combining photorealistic CGI imagery, 4D environmental effects and surround sound.

When Drive Productions came to us with this project we jumped at the chance. Although not Igloo's standard 360º set-up, we love creating immersive projection experiences, so had to be involved. The sheer size meant we brought in 22 projectors. By networking three Igloo Media Players and tweaking the standard Igloo software, this was no problem at all.

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Delivering a Shared VR theatre

The New South Wales Environment Protection Agency (EPA) uses an Igloo Shared VR cylinder for simulation and training, and also rents it out to other government agencies.

EPA originally acquired the Igloo system as a simulation space. As part of the specification, we provided a full 360° stereoscopic mode. And EPA developed a number of interactive training modules for staff working in oil and gas extraction - including fully interactive landscapes, animations and a unique Q&A function for testing information recall.

To get the most from its investment, EPA actively encourages other organisations to make use of the system. And, to this end, it has developed a full support package, including content creation and technical partnerships.

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