At the heart of the system is a VR headset that puts soldiers in various combat simulations. They run through a training course, see obstacles, enemy forces, houses or vehicles. Enemy fire can be simulated, as can wounded soldiers on the ground. "Whatever you want to train - the system can display it," says Kaden.
His system also includes biofeedback sensors that record stress levels. The instructors can use this data to draw conclusions about the deployment and the effectiveness of the soldiers' stress control techniques during stress training. A quantum leap compared to previous methods.
The project name VR4Sit is derived from "virtual reality" (VR) and "stress inoculation training" (SIT), a central component of training not only for special forces. "Stress inoculation training offers an opportunity to prepare highly stressed groups of people in the best possible way for periods of high stress," says operational and troop psychologist Dr. Gorzka. The aim is to "impart and train knowledge, techniques and methods for dealing with stress in an adaptive manner, with a particular focus on self-reflection", says the psychologist. Because "only by recognizing deficits can stress management be sustainably improved and adapted".
Paul Kaden knows the stress of deployment. He is a former paratrooper, had three deployments in Afghanistan, after which he trained soldiers and special forces for many years. Always according to the textbook, and always with this one sentence in mind: "You would never do that in reality."
"For example, if someone throws a smoke grenade in a combat simulation, you have to stop fighting for health protection reasons, take out your protective mask and put it on. Only then are you allowed to continue fighting," says paratrooper Kaden. "Nobody does that in a real battle." He finally came up with the idea for VR4Sit.
The 36-year-old started tinkering. Together with the innovation managers at the Cyber Innovation Hub, Paul Kaden refined his idea. The result is an overall system that is able to measure users' stress levels on the move, wirelessly and without any cameras within a freely selectable scenario. The system can also be quickly moved to different locations and is ready for use in no time at all.
VR4Sit has not only met with great interest among special forces of the German Armed Forces, the system has also become a real success model for Paul Kaden and his start-up "Ramrod XR". In the meantime, he has developed his product "to the maximum", says the 36-year-old founder. He has designed a modular system that allows him to simulate even more complex scenarios and train emergency services even better.
"Without the Cyber Innovation Hub, VR4Sit wouldn't be where it is now," says Kaden. In the meantime, he has had contact with various innovation units, innovation hubs in other countries, ministries and authorities. "None of them have the speed of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub," says Kaden. "The hub simply has the right mindset for such projects."
