Machines | Simulating Soil for Heavy Machinery Training

Serious Labs, an Edmonton-based company, specializes in simulators and e-learning technologies for training heavy machine operators. To provide trainees with the most realistic simulation possible, the company partnered with researchers from the University of Regina to develop computer models that accurately render soil. In the simulation, trainees sit in a console that recreates the cab of a bulldozer or a backhoe, and a screen in front of them shows a computer visualization of a worksite. Trainees operate the machinery, moving dirt from one location to another, practicing their skills in a virtual environment that emulates real world conditions.