My virtual war

The views of the author on the virtual-reality training systems that can simulate urban combat with uncanny realism by allowing users to walk, march and run inside an electronic battlefield are discussed. The Office of Naval Research is developing these systems as part of a six year $40-million program called Virtual Technologies and Environments (VIRTE). The developed system is called VirtuSphere, a nine-foot high hollow ball made of sturdy perforated plastics. The marines are interested in this system because real life combat training facilities are expensive and often impractical. Such combat training systems allows users to traverse a virtual battlefield and confront computer-generated enemies.