Walmart adopts VR training

Saw this story the other day. I've got a job right now building VR training for a large company so this is right in line with what I'm working on.

For example, in this story about it www.theverge.com...

They mention that VR headsets are still expensive. The truth is though, the prices are falling rapidly. By next January Vive will be down to 50% of where it started, and you can get an Oculus pretty cheap if you order several at once. The VR price at this point is basically non existant. The only real price is in the hardware to run this stuff. For now that's $1500 desktops or $4000 laptops, but given just one more generation of video cards (which should be out next year), those prices will again drop in half.

VR is about to hit the pricepoint for widespread adoption.

Here's another article on it
blogs.discovermagazine.com...

Something that I find really interesting is that they're not actually simulating a world in their VR experience. There is no scene to develop, and there is little to no walking around. Instead, it looks like they set up a spherical or 360 degree camera (based on the monitor image I'm guessing 360) and paid actors to work out scenes. Physically setting each one up with video. Then they just project the video around a person. This illusion works well from a fixed position but doesn't handle moving around well. But, it does offer up some advantages too. Most notably, since all they're doing is projecting a video on a surface, there are very few polygons to render. This means such a VR system should be capable of running on relatively low end hardware. It also delivers photorealistic graphics.

The downsides are that it's like doing everything analog, there can be no procedural generation of content. All scenarios are preprogrammed and can't deviate from that programming.

But, I do like the mention of tracking eye movement. That's something I didn't know VR headsets could do, and that I'll be looking into more.

a reply to: Aazadan

Great... more tech The Greaters won't know how to use!!

That is why the BEK are seen there! They're welcomed in!!



(Mods: You can remove this post to prevent thread drift)

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

They don't have to know how to use it, their trainers do. And that's not exactly difficult. I don't know what they built their VR software in, but I'm guessing Unity or Unreal. In either of those, it's literally nothing more than running an exe on a computer. Plug in the headset with a USB.

I did notice that they didn't seem to give hand controls. I found that interesting since they offer up a multiple choice test during the scenario. I wonder if they're doing it all through voice recognition, or if the trainer is inputing the information.

How about a real world experience because, um, we are in the real world. Leave the VR to games and porn, and out of the workplace. .

a reply to: Aazadan

Speaking from personal experience training at Walmart is basically non-existent. You watch videos for a few days that really don't teach you much of anything to do with your job (just basic safety stuff)- and then you get thrown to the wolves to sink or swim. Managers get mad because newer people don't know what to do or how to work the Telzons, MC-40s and printers but nobody teaches them how to use them and the training videos do not cover anything about them. Only cashiers get actual supervised training but everyone else is on their own. I don't see VR training actually helping.

It seems to me just a big waste of money training this way for a Walmart outlet. It doesn't take your average joe to figure out how to use a cash register stock shelves and the lot of what they do there.

originally posted by: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk
a reply to: Aazadan

Speaking from personal experience training at Walmart is basically non-existent. You watch videos for a few days that really don't teach you much of anything to do with your job (just basic safety stuff)- and then you get thrown to the wolves to sink or swim. Managers get mad because newer people don't know what to do or how to work the Telzons, MC-40s and printers but nobody teaches them how to use them and the training videos do not cover anything about them. Only cashiers get actual supervised training but everyone else is on their own. I don't see VR training actually helping.

That's an issue with what they're training, not how they're doing it.

originally posted by: Groot
How about a real world experience because, um, we are in the real world. Leave the VR to games and porn, and out of the workplace. .

Real world experience is where mistakes are made. Additionally, while Walmart is just dealing with people interactions, there's a lot of upside to using VR. For example, if you're training on a piece of equipment, rather than having to configure it for a training scenario each time, and maintain it, and keep it in inventory, and so on... you can just fire up a VR simulation with everything ready to go.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Groot
How about a real world experience because, um, we are in the real world. Leave the VR to games and porn, and out of the workplace. .

Real world experience is where mistakes are made. Additionally, while Walmart is just dealing with people interactions, there's a lot of upside to using VR. For example, if you're training on a piece of equipment, rather than having to configure it for a training scenario each time, and maintain it, and keep it in inventory, and so on... you can just fire up a VR simulation with everything ready to go.

Oh, really?

Do you know what I do for a living?

For the last 30 years I have installed , maintained, serviced and updated elevators.

Would you feel safe riding in an elevator that was installed and maintained by someone that was trained through VR?

Do you feel lucky today?

originally posted by: Groot
Would you feel safe riding in an elevator that was installed and maintained by someone that was trained through VR?

Do you feel lucky today?

I feel pretty safe flying in airplanes where the pilots get training in flight simulators. They throw emergency scenarios at them that they wouldn't do with a real aircraft, but the simulations are realistic enough that should a pilot encounter such a real in-flight emergency he will be better equipped to handle it thanks to VR training.

I don't know what the state of elevator VR training is (if there is such a thing), but I think aircraft simulators show the idea of simulator training has merit if implemented properly.

originally posted by: Groot
Oh, really?

Do you know what I do for a living?

For the last 30 years I have installed , maintained, serviced and updated elevators.

Would you feel safe riding in an elevator that was installed and maintained by someone that was trained through VR?

Do you feel lucky today?

Why wouldn't I feel safe in one?

originally posted by: Arbitrageur

originally posted by: Groot
Would you feel safe riding in an elevator that was installed and maintained by someone that was trained through VR?

Do you feel lucky today?

I feel pretty safe flying in airplanes where the pilots get training in flight simulators. They throw emergency scenarios at them that they wouldn't do with a real aircraft, but the simulations are realistic enough that should a pilot encounter such a real in-flight emergency he will be better equipped to handle it thanks to VR training.

I don't know what the state of elevator VR training is (if there is such a thing), but I think aircraft simulators show the idea of simulator training has merit if implemented properly.

There is a huge difference between flying a plane and building a plane.

a reply to: Groot

VR is being used to train aircraft mechanics as well.

originally posted by: Groot
There is a huge difference between flying a plane and building a plane.

That's an example of how VR training can lower costs. Say you want an aircraft mechanic to service a specific situation. You first need to create that situation on an airplane, then after that mechanic goes through the scenario you have to recreate it for the next mechanic, and so on down the list. That's time consuming an expensive. Instead you can program the scenario once in VR and load it again and again.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Groot
There is a huge difference between flying a plane and building a plane.

That's an example of how VR training can lower costs. Say you want an aircraft mechanic to service a specific situation. You first need to create that situation on an airplane, then after that mechanic goes through the scenario you have to recreate it for the next mechanic, and so on down the list. That's time consuming an expensive. Instead you can program the scenario once in VR and load it again and again.

Yeah, and that takes money away from the working man trying to feed his family.

We have an apprenticeship program were a helper works with a mechanic to learn the job. After 5 years, they can take a test and become a mechanic themselves.
In our situation, there are many variables. Job conditions, environments, equipment. Things are changing all the time and very fluid.
Not to mention the risk of falling and getting cut in half by some elevator you are working on because some dumbass before you jumped out a safety circuit. That is how passengers are killed on elevators. Imagine the doors on an elevator open, you go to step in, it suddenly moves down and you get squeezed between that inch and a quarter gap between the elevator and the hoistway door. Not pretty.

originally posted by: Groot
Yeah, and that takes money away from the working man trying to feed his family.

Does it? It lowers the barrier to entry on the job, that means it's more accessible, and therefore more people can choose to take it up as a profession as they wish. That's the entire point about automation it brings the job to the masses. Sure, someone who was in a position protected behind a skill wall might see their wages fall a bit, but that's life. All wages for all jobs will eventually hit zero as it becomes a common skill (which is inevitable given advances in education) .

It's ultimately the buggy whip problem.

I see it as a good thing myself. Personally, I don't believe the argument that some people aren't cut out for college, because it's really no different than high school, and if we argue they aren't cut out for college, then they aren't cut out for senior year either, or junior year, and so on down the list. I think it's more an idea that people see themselves as done and become lazy, ceasing to push forward. If a 5th year of compulsory high school were added, we wouldn't suddenly have 2/3 of the population drop out like they do with college.

We have an apprenticeship program were a helper works with a mechanic to learn the job. After 5 years, they can take a test and become a mechanic themselves.

Why should a company pay for those 5 years of learning? It would be much better for their financials to hire people who already know what they're doing and let those who are serious about it cover their own training.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Groot
Yeah, and that takes money away from the working man trying to feed his family.

Does it? It lowers the barrier to entry on the job, that means it's more accessible, and therefore more people can choose to take it up as a profession as they wish. That's the entire point about automation it brings the job to the masses. Sure, someone who was in a position protected behind a skill wall might see their wages fall a bit, but that's life. All wages for all jobs will eventually hit zero as it becomes a common skill (which is inevitable given advances in education) .

It's ultimately the buggy whip problem.

I see it as a good thing myself. Personally, I don't believe the argument that some people aren't cut out for college, because it's really no different than high school, and if we argue they aren't cut out for college, then they aren't cut out for senior year either, or junior year, and so on down the list. I think it's more an idea that people see themselves as done and become lazy, ceasing to push forward. If a 5th year of compulsory high school were added, we wouldn't suddenly have 2/3 of the population drop out like they do with college.

We have an apprenticeship program were a helper works with a mechanic to learn the job. After 5 years, they can take a test and become a mechanic themselves.

Why should a company pay for those 5 years of learning? It would be much better for their financials to hire people who already know what they're doing and let those who are serious about it cover their own training.

I got you. You don't have a clue.

Carry on.....

a reply to: Groot

In other words, you don't have a response. You could always be productive and try to educate me or discuss the issue.

Or I suppose you can always be dismissive, and then come back here and complain about not having a job in 15 years.

originally posted by: Groot

For the last 30 years I have installed , maintained, serviced and updated elevators.

thats pretty cool man
howd you get into that?