DSE is home to a state-of-the-art Laboratory that allows Cadets and Faculty to visualize and build models of prototypes, solutions and deliverables in the course of their research or education.
Under the management of Andrew Mitchell, this lab provides Cadets and Faculty the opportunity to investigate and research a wide range of interdisciplinary, systemic issues and to apply simulation software to visualize and test projects from the classroom and research. This laboratory also provides Cadets and Faculty with access to next-gen software packages and suites for advanced studies, research and solutions.
Android Development: The laboratory provides Cadets and Faculty with a complete Android OS development environment. With the availability of portable and high-powered personal devices such as Smartphones and Tablets, Cadets and Faculty can leverage the portability of Android and Java virtual machines to quickly develop solutions and applications for DOD and other interested agencies. Cadets and Faculty also have access to additional programming languages such as C++ and C#, and frameworks such as XNA, and Ogre3D.
CryEngine 3: CryEngine 3 is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) AAA game engine currently utilized by many major gaming and visualization studios in the commercial market. DSE is currently an educational licensee of the technology that powers many of today’s high fidelity games that students are familiar with.
Unreal Development Kit (UDK): UDK is an additional COTS AAA game engine that students and faculty have access to for visualization purposes. Currently there is an internal research effort into the importation of traditional GIS source data into next-gen engines for real-time display of complex datasets and terrains using modern graphics techniques such as normal mapping, displacement mapping, ambient occlusion mapping, and tessellation techniques available to modern "game" engines and consoles.
In addition to research and cadet use, our lab services projects with our clientele including U.S. Army PEO STRI. Below is a list of some of the projects our Cadets and Staff and Faculty have been involved with.
- XM25: We currently have a mock-up of the XM25 in our Lab which used IWARS and VBS2 in the simulation model.
- Cooperative Engagement (ORCEN /U.S. Army PEO STRI Project: The idea of this project was to mount a video feed in an Apache (Longbow) allowing the pilot situational awareness through the UAS's video camera. Enabling the Apache pilot a better ground to air communication when executing a cooperative engagement mission. The simulation model used for this project was VBS2.
- Cooperative Engagement (ORCEN /U.S. Army PEO STRI Project: The idea of this project was to mount a video feed in an Apache (Longbow) allowing the pilot situational awareness through the UAS's video camera. Enabling the Apache pilot a better ground to air communication when executing a cooperative engagement mission. The simulation model used for this project was VBS2.
- AH-64 Pilot Overload: The purpose of this project was to measure and find methods of mitigating pilot overload in an dynamic environment while still enabling the pilot to maintain situational awareness of airframe indicators and external Areas of Interest (AOI), potential threats, and friendly ground and air asset locations and proximity in reference to the pilots aircraft.
- Weapon Mounted Augmented Reality Trainer: The purpose of this project was to create a computer based training platform that could be mounted on the individual soldier's weapon, without requiring the modification of the weapon. Applying techniques for Augmented Reality (AR) and modern gaming engines, the Cadets were able to show a proof of concept to their client.
Additionally, our Sims and Visualization Lab is used for summer training programs such as Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Outreach and Summer Leaders Seminar Program (SLS).