Aptima Measures Human Performance in Manned-Unmanned Scenarios for US Army's Games for Training Program

If the use of manned and unmanned assets will be all but ubiquitous in the Army of the future, how will the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of warfighters using them be developed?

To better prepare Warfighters for these operations, Aptima has applied its performance measurement platform to manned-unmanned teaming scenarios in Bohemia Interactive’s Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3). VBS3 is the flagship simulation platform for the US Army’s “Games for Training” program, which reinforces hands-on, scenario-based learning.

As add-ons to VBS3, Aptima’s PM Engine TM , SPOTLITE TM , and ASA TM technologies deliver rich performance measures to help trainees develop technical/procedural skills, as well as competencies such as teamwork, collaboration and adaptability–the skills needed for effective manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations.

Aptima, which applies expertise in how humans learn, and perform, will demonstrate its performance measurement platform in an Army aviation simulation at I/ITSEC, December 1-4. During the VBS3 combat scenario, PM Engine and SPOTLITE will provide measures of operator performance during a close combat attack mission featuring an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter paired with an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aerial system (UAS).

What makes PM Engine unique is that it aggregates measures of platform and operator performance from the VBS3 simulator data into meaningful assessments of Warfighter technical proficiency. These assessments are paired with SPOTLITE™, a handheld measurement tool used by instructors and observer-controllers to measure trainees at crucial points during the exercise in context to the situation. The integration of measures occurs in the ASA, a database designed to integrate and store performance data and display results for examination of learning and development trends over the course of training and readiness cycles. These measures can be displayed in real-time during an exercise, and used in after-action-reviews (AAR) to support the execute-assess-repeat cycle of skills development. Integrated performance measurement results deliver a more complete view of performance from which instructors can better guide trainees in teamwork, communications, and adaptability – proficiencies emphasized in the US Army Learning Model 2015.

“When it comes to training effectiveness, performance measures should support development of not only the technical and tactical, but also higher-order critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Michael J. Paley, Aptima’s CEO. “Having feedback based on a more thorough understanding of what occurred throughout the training scenario and why leads to an improved cycle of learning.”

Originally developed for live-virtual-constructive training exercises, PM Engine can be configured for nearly any VBS3 training scenario. SPOTLITE runs on Android-based handheld devices and tablets and can provide measures of effectiveness and measures of performance (MOEs, MOPs) tailored to the environment and target scenario.