Houston-based Optech4D develops V/R-based training for Oil and Gas and other heavy industries. Their website mentions a study by the National Training Laboratory where it was found that learning retention rates for V/R simulation training dramatically exceeded retention rates for lectures and reading (75 percent, 5 percent, and 10%, respectively.)

Their Helicopter Landing Officer V/R training enables trainees to experience the danger and chaos of a helicopter crash on an offshore oil platform. The trainee can witness the crash and execute a response plan for which they can be evaluated. Benefits include 1) allowing the user to take actions, make mistakes and experience outcomes, good or bad, in a safe environment, 2) availability of metrics for accuracy, time, actions and completion percentages which can be reviewed by the trainees and training managers, and 3) greatly reduces the cost and improves safety of training by removing the need to to fly offshore to perform the training. The client that used the training saved an estimated $2 million per year of logistics costs in training, injuries and damages.

Another V/R training product is for Lockout-Tagout procedures for oil and gas facilities. (here is the Optech4D V/R training demo video) By simulating walking through the facility, trainees can check that critical equipment is de-energized, tagged and locked out. Like the helicopter training, trainees experience the consequences of their actions and see such things as gas leaks, fluid spills and fires. The simulation also makes use of LEAP Motion’s hand tracking sensor so trainees can interact with the simulation and do things such as turn valves, flip switches and move objects around. The overall benefits come from reducing the 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries per year as recorded by OSHA.

Using their Full Immersion Training Simulator (FITS), Optech4D produced Offshore Pipelaying Vessel Operator V/R training for oil and gas contractor, Saipem, for the highly technical process of laying subsea pipelines. Cost benefits of the training are excellent as training retention is much higher with V/R, and with an equipment cost of $3 million per mile, savings from reduced errors and downtime quickly accumulate.