Press Release
CHANDLER, Ariz. — VirTra, Inc., a global provider of judgmental use of force training simulators, firearms training simulators for the law enforcement and military markets, today announced new video-based scenarios for its training simulators and unveiled its True-Fire™ recoil kit, which is designed to minimize false firing incidents. Alongside this, the Company is expanding its V-Author® library by adding 27 new characters, including hospital and corrections workers, as well as community members, patients, and inmates. The new content and True-Fire™ recoil kits are set to launch at SHOT Show on January 23-26 at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Booth #20535.
The newest video-based scenarios encompass a variety of situations such as active shooters, suspicious subjects, disturbances, duty to intervene, traffic stops, and more. Available in 4K resolution, these scenarios give law enforcement members a crystal-clear, highly immersive view of the action. Each scenario is crafted using top-tier cinematic equipment and professional actors, enhancing the realism of the training experience. Furthermore, the entire production process – from writing and filming to quality assurance – involves subject matter experts at each stage to ensure each scenario is accurate and effective for learning.
VirTra CEO John Givens stated: “Training content needs to align with the specific mission that individuals and teams are trying to accomplish, which is why we’re producing content that closely mirrors real-world scenarios. VirTra is hyper-focused on the production of superior scenarios and character, tailored for the unique needs of law enforcement, corrections, and hospital staff. We’ve invested in state-of-the-art equipment, skilled personnel, and subject matter experts, and we regularly survey our customers to ensure that our content is effective and of the highest quality. Every piece of content we produce is crafted to ensure our clients are trained effectively no matter what their state or agency policies require.”
One notable scenario equips officers and security personnel to handle active threats at places of worship. In this immersive simulation, officers respond to multiple reports of an active shooter. They must navigate the scenario by engaging threats while simultaneously being aware of fleeing innocents, testing their ability to make split-second decisions about potential threats. The scenario also incorporates elements of de-escalation and hostage negotiation, further diversifying the training experience and providing situational awareness that is challenging to replicate outside this immersive environment. To address various training objectives, the multiple incidents within this single scenario have been divided into three sections, each focusing on different training points.
V-Author® is VirTra’s scenario authoring tool that allows users to create their own scenarios using just a panoramic image. This user-friendly tool lets instructors drag and drop characters into the scene and assign them specific actions. Enhancing this capability, VirTra has added 27 new characters to the V-Author® library. This includes 18 characters tailored for the hospital industry and 9 designed specifically for the jails and corrections industry. Each character comes with a range of actions, providing instructors with the flexibility to tailor scenarios to specific training objectives. The expanded roster of V-Author® characters reflects VirTra’s commitment to supporting training needs in various sectors, especially for hospital staff, security personnel, and corrections officers.
These characters are created using VirTra’s state-of-the-art Volumetric Capture Studio, which captures the true likeness of real actors. Thanks to this innovative technology, the video-based characters seamlessly integrate into various training formats. They can drag and drop the characters to be readily incorporated into both traditional video scenarios and VirTra’s headset-based virtual reality product, V-XR®.
In addition to the new training content, VirTra is introducing True-Fire™, a mechanical enhancement to its recoil kits. This feature, designed to minimize false firing incidents, is a significant advancement in training realism. True-Fire™ includes upgraded materials and firmware/software improvements to prevent unintentional shot registration when a weapon is slid, tapped, or dropped during simulations. Many tetherless recoil kits on the market typically register false fire which skew the results in the final training evaluations, and VirTra has created a proprietary solution that will debut at SHOT Show.
If you would like to have a demonstration of VirTra’s newest technology and content, email sales@virtra.com or stop by Booth #20535 at SHOT Show.
About VirTra, Inc.
VirTra (Nasdaq: VTSI) is a global provider of judgmental use of force training simulators and firearms training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational and commercial markets. The company’s patented technologies, software, and scenarios provide intense training for de-escalation, judgmental use-of-force, marksmanship, and related training that mimics real-world situations. VirTra’s mission is to save and improve lives worldwide through practical and highly effective virtual reality and simulator technology. Learn more about the company at www.VirTra.com.