Develop a Research Proposal: Virtual Reality in Army Training

Virtual Reality for Army Training: Research Proposal
Student’s Name
Course ID and Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

Table of Contents
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967311" Background  PAGEREF _Toc498967311 \h
3
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967312" Problem Statement  PAGEREF _Toc498967312 \h
3
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967313" Goal  PAGEREF _Toc498967313 \h
4
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967314" Relevance and Significance  PAGEREF _Toc498967314 \h
5
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967315" Literature Review  PAGEREF _Toc498967315 \h
6
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967316" Approach  PAGEREF _Toc498967316 \h
12
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc498967317" References  PAGEREF _Toc498967317 \h
13

Virtual Reality in Army Training
Background
With changes in the social environment, marked by the WWI and WWII, the army has developed the urgency to develop systems to aid in the training of military, enhancing effectiveness under extreme working conditions. Traditional army training techniques are known to be rigorous and resource draining to a greater extent. Army training has objectified to create more realistic training exercises that closely conform to the actual scenes of the operation. The army’s capability to offer realistic training experiences has however been undermined by declining resources, environmental impediments and growing need for more land training space. With the advancing weapon mobility and range of lethality, such constraints are undermining the ability of the army to conduct effective training. It is realized that advancements in technology ought to be matched with a vast training battlefield. Thanks to growth in technology, Virtual Reality has proven very effective in meeting the growing need. Use of virtual reality in military training to simulate realistic operating grounds has grown in the last few decades. There have been rapid developments in Virtual Reality technology. However, adoption of such technology into military training drills has been rather slow. There is the need for more practical insight on the advantage and limitations of using existing technology in Virtual Reality to offer adequate training for military men and women.
Problem Statement
As the technologies of virtual reality continue to develop, its application in the military continues to deepen. Thrush and Bodary (2000) state that virtual reality continues to open new dimensions, offering new solutions and approaches to challenges that are facing the military. Application of virtual reality as a field of study is rather shallow. While most of the research has focused on its advantages and ways that it can be improved, there is limited focus on the possible adverse effect on the application of virtual reality in training and other activities within the military.
The benefits of virtual reality are overwhelmingly immense within combat training. Since the 1980s, lots of funding and state support has been offered to provide insight into the ways through which virtual reality can benefit the military and the course of national security and defense (Bhide, Riad, Rabelo, & Pastrana, 2015). One of the most notable benefits is the extreme cutback in costs of offering training to the military. In the United States, military funding is significant. Other benefits of virtual reality include the treatment of mental conditions and improved personal performance.
Limited existing research has assumed another dimension within the broader debate of using virtual reality in the military. It is primarily concluded that military personnel are now faced with new challenges, following the use of virtual reality in training. Such observations beg on the question of whether the use of virtual reality is leading to new problems that progress with the increased development of virtual reality technology and its application in the military. The proposed research will aim to determine if the benefits of virtual reality in the present and the future overweigh its adverse effects.
Goal
The primary objective of the proposed study is to determine if the benefits of using virtual reality in a military setting overweigh the associated side effects as well as a limitation. The study objective will be accomplished by conducting a comparative study of the advantages and limitations of virtual reality. The results under study will be borrowed from a comprehensive literature review of studies within and beyond military knowledge field. At the end of the study, study recommendation will be made in the particular areas that require in-depth insight on the application of virtual reality in the military.
Relevance and Significance
Just like any typical technological advancement, Virtual Reality has attracted numerous users in the civil and military society. Yin (2009) indicates that virtual reality is more profound with the army in training and offering experience related solutions. The army’s obsession with virtual reality is historic. The United States government has worked closely with third parties like software developers and tech-savvy companies to provide the military technology-based solutions. International conferences held annually feature tech companies parading their new inventions with the view of offering further boost and solutions to security problems in the country. Such events have now become a battlefield for tech savvies to compete for government-funded military procurement and research funding at the least. While questions have been raised on the associated extravagance, the public and media domains are far from understanding if the military derives real value from frequent technological injections (Rizzo, Morie, Williams, Pair, & Buckwalter, 2010). On the adverse point, there is little knowledge among military men and women in the short term and long term effect of virtual reality.
Not all realities can be virtual. The latter statement has been used to support other approaches, the most common being Mixed Reality. From the same angle; it can be argued that virtual reality does not provide exclusive benefits to the military personnel. Bhide et al. (2015) suggests that technological input in the military are white elephant projects. Issues have been raised on how developments in virtual reality dictate for sophisticated skill sets. Such skill requirements can be quickly and comfortably replaced with simple knowledge capabilities, hence increasing complexities. The immersion process that virtual reality is fundamentally based on has been dramatically criticized on its side effects to users. Eyestrain, emotional imbalance, stress, and anxiety are some of the possible effects of being subjected to immersion (Piotrowski, 2010). Even though there lacks a well-developed study base on the impact of virtual reality, existing reports suggest a somewhat serious problem in the future. The use of virtual reality in military training cannot be eliminated. The feasible alternative to the scenario is to weigh in the benefits and adverse side effects that will be realized through the use of virtual reality in military activities.
Literature Review
This section explores some of the existing academic works and reports on the use of virtual reality within the military. The literature review assumes an annotated form. Articles and scholarly works featured in this section include those that detail the benefits of virtual reality. Additionally, reports that explore the negative implications of virtual reality and possible limitation are featured as well. Information developed in this section provides support and significance of the proposed study.
Virtual reality is shown to be an effective means of treating acute stressors among military men. Bouchard et al. (2011) discuss that Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most popular mental disorder that impacts an individual who faces life-threatening situations frequently. The authors indicate that military men and women are exposed to PTSD because of the nature of activities that they carry out. PTSD not only affects the mental being of individuals, but also results in operational inefficiency. Hence, military men are expected to receive proper training on how to deal with occupational stressors disorder to avoid PTSD and other psychological injuries. Numerous guidelines and traditional approaches have been developed to combat stress. Many of the methods have been modified to meet varying stress environments. It has however been argued that offering literature lecture on stress management is not sufficient. There is the need for military personnel to be subjected to stressful conditions that require them to practice application of knowledge and skills learned over the training process. Virtual reality offers a simulated reality of the warlike scenarios that may trigger stress to individuals, hence perfect for training (Bouchard, Guitard, Bernier, & Robillard, 2011).
The most defining feature of virtual reality that renders it essential in dealing with combat stress is interactivity. Hightower (2000) implies that interaction distances virtual reality from all audio-visual applications. Head mounted displays are the latest technologies in virtual reality that can be used to offer an interactive experience through immersion. One can experience a three-dimensional view of the environment, experience change in color and events, just like in actual combat scenarios. Immersion room is shown to offer better...