Timber iQ February - March 2020 // Issue: 48 | Page 11

NEWS
Yende, who too believes that VR is the future of training and
skills development.
FSA executive director Michael Peter explains that capacity
building and development are vital to the sustainability of
the industry and its future growth. “Our membership
includes not only the country’s 11 major corporate forestry
companies but 1 300 medium-scale plantation owners and
around 20 000 small-scale operators. This development will
benefit them by enhancing the quality of operator training,”
he says.
Some FSA members have already committed to testing the
technology at their in-house training departments and will
be giving constant feedback to the development team to
refine the design of the product prior to commercialisation.
WHERE TO NEXT?
These will incorporate the use of a wireless module to
eliminate cables that interfere with the movement of the
learner operator as well as VR gloves to improve haptic
feedback from the chainsaw during operation. This will add
realism to the experience, enabling trainees to sense
vibrations and resistance as the chainsaw engages with the
virtual tree or timber.
Learning from this development, FSA is investigating other
VR-based training applications for similarly hazardous
operations. One of these is firefighting. “Fire knows no
sectorial borders, so we would seek multi-sector
collaboration,” says Dlamini.
According to Peter, the app will meet the need for better quality
and safer training in the industry while standardising the level
of training and assessment of trainees across the country.
Initial demonstrations have been well-received by the
industry, with a Version 2.0 already in the making. “During
consultation with user groups, we identified two important
improvements to enhance the next generation of VR chainsaw
training aids,” adds Dlamini.
Chainsaw operators need to be well-trained to be able to work in the field.
The VR application will make it possible for trainees to test their theoretical knowledge and hone their skill in a simulated timber plantation.
www.timberiq.co.za
// FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020
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