Virtual heat: Deakin lands $5m contract for naval firefighting training system

DEAKIN University has signed a $5.13 million deal with the federal government to continue developing a highly sophisticated augmented and virtual naval firefighting system for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in the latest plaudit for the technology created at the university’s Waurn Ponds campus.

Researchers at Deakin, in partnership with technology companies Kellogg, Brown & Root and Geelong-based FLAIM Systems, will seek to develop an immersive training system for naval firefighting, combining virtual reality and augmented reality with
artificial intelligence.

The FLAIM Trainer created and built by FLAIM Systems works in a similar way to a flight simulator for pilot training but is designed specifically for firefighters.

It combines virtual reality technology in a helmet with real-life industry standard equipment, such as a fire nozzle, breathing apparatus, hose reel, and automated sense-perception devices such as a fire-proximity heat suit to simulate both the visual and sensory feelings of being in a fire.

Originally starting at ManuFutures, the university’s Waurn Ponds manufacturing and innovation hub, FLAIM Systems now provide their training in 14 different countries.

The federal government announced the signing of the contract earlier this week.

Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson said this contract would build on Deakin’s international reputation for ground-breaking research and excellence.

“Deakin University has executed more than 165 contracts with the Australian Defence Department, highlighting the important role our region’s institutions can play in driving innovation and generating cutting-edge capability in support of the ADF.

“This contract follows the signing of the $1 billion agreement between Hanwha Defense Australia and the Morrison Government to produce howitzers for the Australian Army, cementing our region’s position at the forefront of Australia’s defence industry for decades to come.”

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the investment could significantly improve the ADF’s naval firefighting training capability.
“Deakin University’s new system will provide the ADF with a more diverse and realistic range of naval firefighting and training options that could significantly improve learning outcomes and safety.

“This investment highlights the innovative research and development that Australia’s sovereign industry is capable of producing and exporting.”

Deakin’s Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation, also based at the Waurn Ponds campus, was awarded a $2.16 million contract by the federal government’s Defence Innovation Hub in 2017 to demonstrate a next-generation virtual reality hot fire training system for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

The overall project aims to provide the RAN the capability to train firefighters for situations and scenarios that are inherently unsafe and difficult to reproduce, may no longer be possible due to environmental constraints, and incur significant training cost in time, people and assets.