Virtual reality (VR) has revolutionized how industries approach workforce training, offering immersive
and more effective learning solutions. However, traditional VR training lacks the sense of touch, a key
element in developing hands-on skills. This is where haptic gloves come in.
By providing tactile feedback, haptic gloves help users physically interact with virtual objects while
training in VR, improving muscle memory, skill retention, and procedural accuracy. Industries
like aerospace, agriculture, defense, and aviation are already integrating wearable haptic devices,
such as SenseGlove haptic gloves, into VR training, helping professionals learn critical procedures
more efficiently.
In this article, we explore how VR haptics is transforming workforce training across four different
industries.
Aerospace: Preparing astronauts for space missions with VR gloves
To successfully carry out space missions, astronauts need exhaustive training on Earth that is often
expensive and logistically complex. Training in VR with haptic gloves allows astronauts to learn critical
tasks effectively without needing to commute to remote locations to use costly physical simulators.
Organizations like NASA have experimented with VR haptic gloves like the SenseGlove Nova 2 for
training, allowing astronauts to familiarize themselves with the space station and its components in
VR through touch. By feeling virtual components, they learn how to confidently handle them,
developing muscle memory and improving skill transfer for space missions.
Defense and Military: Enhancing combat readiness and tactical training
Military personnel must be prepared to face high-risk, high-pressure situations, from combat
operations to battlefield medical emergencies. Conventional military training relies on methods like
live drills and physical simulations, which are costly and difficult to scale. Seeking a more immersive,
scalable, and safe solution, the defense industry has turned to VR haptic training.
Whether they are learning how to handle a weapon, feeling the recoil of a firearm, or performing
medical procedures on their injured peers, haptic gloves teach procedures in a way that training with
VR controllers cannot. Integrating haptic gloves, ECS has developed Care Under Fire VR training for
the U.S. Army, FEMA, and other government entities. Haptic gloves help soldiers practice life-saving
procedures during high-stress conditions. Training with VR gloves improves weapon handling, vehicle
operation, and mission planning, ensuring soldiers are prepared for real-world combat.
Agriculture: Ensuring food safety with VR gloves
Modern agriculture depends on specialized tasks and techniques to ensure quality and safety
standards in food products. However, farming training comes with challenges, as typical learning
methods can be limited by weather conditions and often result in wasted resources during practice.
The agriculture sector is turning towards VR training with haptics to better prepare farmers and
agronomists for specialized agricultural procedures.
Agricultural companies around the world are using VR gloves to teach quality control procedures,
equipment operation, and even livestock handling. Happy Quality, for example, used SenseGlove
haptic gloves to train workers on how to carry out crop health monitoring techniques with cutting-edge
tools like the Stomata Scope. Haptic gloves allow farmers to feel the sensations of crops and tools,
providing a realistic and immersive learning experience that cuts training costs and reduces waste.
Aviation: Improving Maintenance and Crew Training
For decades, the aviation industry has relied on physical simulators and in-person instruction. But
coordinating global crews is logistically complex, and the cost of traditional training is quite elevated
(flight training alone for aspiring pilots can rise up to 50,000 USD per trainee). As a result, aviation
companies are increasingly adopting VR gloves for training. With VR haptic gloves, professionals can
interact with cockpit controls, practice maintenance procedures, and rehearse safety drills with tactile
feedback.
Airlines around the world are already exploring VR training with haptics. Emirates, looking to
streamline cabin crew onboarding, asked SenseGlove to develop a training scenario in VR with haptic
gloves as part of their ForsaTEK Innovation Platform. With the gloves, trainees can rehearse real-
world scenarios such as operating cargo doors or performing in-flight safety procedures while feeling
the resistance of all the aircraft components. This scalable, immersive approach speeds up training
while reducing reliance on physical simulators.
Conclusion
As industries embrace VR training, haptic feedback is becoming a game-changer, bridging the gap
between virtual simulations and real-world skills. By allowing professionals to feel what they interact
with in VR, industries are seeing enhanced skill retention, reduced training costs, and improved safety
among their workforce.
Many organizations are already integrating haptic gloves like SenseGlove to enhance training
programs. Could haptic-enabled VR training revolutionize your industry too? Get in touch with us to
explore how haptic gloves can transform your workforce training.
