BBN Technologies

BBN is transforming training by providing richer and deeper cognitive experiences in virtual, immersive environments.

Either alone, or combined with live role-playing, immersive training is an effective and efficient supplement to field training for both military and civilian uses.

A scene from a DARWARS Ambush! rules-of-engagement training scenario. DARWARS Ambush!, developed by BBN, is a low-cost, small-footprint, multi-player, PC-based immersive training system that enjoys wide acceptance in the U.S. defense community.

BBN Technologies is a leader in the research, development, and employment of immersive learning technology for military training (in both kinetic and non-kinetic operations) and other serious purposes. BBN offers experience, expertise, and technologies in the critical areas of immersive learning, going back to the pioneering days of networked, multiplayer, immersive training with the BBN-developed SIMNET training simulator.

Socio-Cultural Training and Research

Immersive training that teaches cross-cultural interpersonal skills and promotes cross-cultural effectiveness has become central to the success of militaries today. BBN's research and products in this area include:

• SCALE-UP™ — A training and analysis environment for exploring social and cultural interactions relevant to pre- and post-conflict operations in urban environments.
• Culture Based Performance Research — Testing the effects of culture on decision making and team behavior, both within and across cultures, using the SABRE game-based testbed.
• SABRE — The Situation Authorable Behavior Research Environment, a game-based testbed for psychological research.

Training Management and Delivery

Environments for the efficient delivery of training, incorporating disparate training systems into a one stop, pedagogically designed system have been developed for large, distributed organizations. Examples of BBN-developed solutions in this area include:

• DARWARS — Transforming training and increasing readiness by harnessing the full power of lightweight experiential training.
• Integrated Experiential Training — Integrating simulation-based, multi-user training within the Joint Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory's architecture for the future.

Experiential Training

Low-cost, web-centric, simulation-based trainers that take advantage of widespread PC-based technology, including multi-player games, virtual worlds, intelligent agents, and on-line communities to offer immersive practice environments for individuals and teams, with on-target feedback for each trainee.

• COVE — The Conning Officer Virtual Environment, incorporating voice commands and the actual behavior of ships for training bridge officers in the difficult ship-handling operations involved with fueling while underway.
• Gorman's Gambit — An assessment of the potential of massively multi-player games as tools for military training.
• DARWARS Ambush! — Ambush! provides unit-level military training based on experiences from the field, and includes capabilities to ensure the fast capture and dissemination of lessons learned. Currently employed by the U.S. Military to teach convoy and other small-to-medium-sized-unit operations.
• Team Communications with BBNTalk™ — A flexible and scalable, multi-user VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) conversation and collaboration system, which you can use by itself or in conjunction with other multi-user systems.

Partnering, Consultation, and Research

BBN works with the game industry and with government and academic organizations, acting as a partner who understands both worlds. We adapt advances in game technology, coupled with a deep pedagogical focus, for use by government customers, and we introduce government and academic research to the commercial-game world. Among BBN's plug-in capabilities and middleware offerings in this area include:

• Computer-based Intelligent Tutoring — BBN's experience developing computer-based tutors includes the incorporation of expert knowledge and the simulation of real-world experience.
• Interactive Speech — In-game speech systems for both human-to-human and human-to-synthetic characters' spoken communications.
• Human Modeling ("People Engines") — The application of the latest AI research in the simulation of human behavior.
• Behavior Authoring — A study of the behavior-authoring techniques of commercial computer games and their applicability to military-training simulations.
• Training Games Partnering Initiative — Partnering with private industry to advance the state of the art in games-based training.