German train drivers in cyberspace

At Deutsche Bahn, around 100 train drivers are currently preparing for their work in the ICE 4 using virtual reality training.

Firstly, you need a square spanner to open the control panel directly on the train door. Behind it is a part of the control system for the lift, which is standard equipment on all Deutsche Bahn ICE 4 trains - the previous trains did not have such a device. Exactly 28 steps are required to operate the heavy device, the first of which is the use of the square key.

However, instead of the real tool, the Deutsche Bahn train drivers hold an HTC Vive input device in their hands and only see the lift in virtual reality. In a new training programme, a group of train drivers in Germany are currently being prepared for their deployment in the new high-speed trains.

Manufacturer Siemens is currently sending one of these ICE 4 trains onto the tracks approximately every three weeks, meaning that around 100 train drivers must have completed their training by autumn 2018. The railway company says it is happy for any training that can take place in virtual reality and not in one of the trains - after all, they are supposed to be carrying passengers.

However, some of the training still takes place on real trains, as the VR programme and training also reach their limits. "We can train the movement sequences wonderfully in virtual reality," explains Lars Tiedermann from the railway subsidiary DB Systel, which is behind the application. "However, you only realise how difficult something is when you hold it in your hand in real life." Normally, train drivers learn how to use the lifting platform on the real device. The movement sequences are then repeated several times on the computer.

Modular training

Tiedermann and his colleagues call their platform Engaging Virtual Education (Eve). The module for training with the virtual lifting platform was produced in around four months on the basis of the Unity Engine. All important details of the machine are modelled true to scale on the original - Siemens provided the developers with the CAD data.

In addition to the programme for operating the lifting platform, Eve also contains other modules. For example, there is an application with which train drivers can practise completing their work. This includes the fairly complex process of lowering the railcar as well as the switches that need to be pressed when exiting the driver's cab.

A quiz motivates

Another module is intended for the maintenance technicians who are responsible for maintaining the roof gardens - that's what railway workers call the upper part of the trains with the pantographs. Because, according to Tiedermann, speed is particularly important here, DB Systel has even added a small quiz to the exercise as motivation. Further scenarios are currently being developed. These include one that trainees can use to learn how to couple.

Source: Golem