Simulation training isn’t new, but it is growing in popularity. For more than 50 years, the aviation industry has used simulation. And since the early 2000s, simulation training has become more and more common within a variety of other industries, including construction, ports, and utilities.
What’s driving the shift towards simulation training? Because when done right, simulation provides a variety of benefits. Whether it’s learning to fly an aircraft or operate heavy construction machinery, simulation training provides an immersive experience that enhances learning outcomes and safety.
Here’s a closer look at what’s included in a simulation training system and how it enhances training outcomes.
Simulation training is an advanced, hands-on approach to learning that replicates real-world environments and scenarios using digital technology. This allows trainees to practice and develop skills in a safe, controlled setting, where they can make mistakes and grow their skills.
A simulation training system is often (although not always) comprised of a simulator (the hardware) and a simulation (the technology powering the hardware).
People often use the terms “simulator” and “simulation” interchangeably, likely because one is rarely used without the other. While it’s possible to conduct a simulation without a simulator, it’s uncommon to use a simulator for something other than running a simulation.
A simulator typically encompasses the following elements:
Computers are the backbone of simulators, processing complex algorithms and real-time data to deliver highly accurate, responsive training environments. Some companies build their simulators with the latest and greatest specifications to ensure computers are future-proofed and powerful for years to come.
Controls like joysticks, steering wheels, and pedals allow trainees to practice maneuvers in the simulation, such as digging a trench with an excavator simulator. Controls can range in quality from industry-grade controls manufactured by OEM suppliers to plastic gaming controls. Professional simulator controls differ from gaming controls in that with gaming controls, trainees can understand some of the mechanics, but gain very little machine skills development.
Some simulators also allow users to easily swap out and replace controls, taking out a steering wheel to replace it with joysticks, for example. This allows one simulator to be used to train for multiple pieces of equipment, such as a dozer, motor grader, boom truck, and excavator.
Some simulators will have their seat mounted onto a motion platform, giving trainees the same sensations they would experience when operating real equipment. This contributes to muscle memory development and faster learning. In the context of construction training, trainees get a sense of how an excavator “digs in,” or how a crane reacts when a load is set down.
Motion platforms can range from rudimentary (vibration only) to 2DoF (degrees of freedom), 3DoF, and even 6DoF (backward/forward, right/left, up/down, yaw, pitch, and roll).
Displays provide the visual immersion trainees need to feel like they’re “really there” in the simulated environment. For some, a single screen can be sufficient for controls familiarization. But as training advances, field of view becomes more and more important. For instance, a vertical field of view is critical for crane operators, while a horizontal view is important for earthmoving equipment operators. As a result, simulators can come in 3-screen, 5-screen, and even higher setup configurations.
Sound is an important part of immersion. For instance, on a quay crane, it’s important to hear the trolley while moving forward and backward. The simulator’s speakers reproduce the sounds of real equipment, which adds an extra layer of immersion to the training experience and enhances retention.
There are many combinations of hardware components that you can find, and many different types of simulators on the market:
- Desktop simulators: These are portable entry-level simulators that use standard computers and monitors. Controls can be attached to a desk, and operators can sit in a regular desk chair when performing exercises.
- Fixed-base simulators: Lacking motion feedback, these simulators focus on the visual and operational aspects of machinery operation. They are widely used due to their cost-effectiveness and simplicity.
- Full-motion simulators: These simulators provide a highly immersive experience, replicating the movements and sensations of operating real machinery. Equipped with motion platforms, these simulators offer feedback that mimics the physical forces felt during heavy equipment operation.
- Full-motion simulators housed in a cab: These simulators are housed in a cabin environment that offers an added level of immersion.
The simulation is what powers the simulator. It creates the virtual environments, scenarios, and equipment behavior that make the training experience realistic and transferable to real-world tasks.
High-quality simulation software accurately models real-world physics and machinery characteristics, ensuring that trainees develop the skills they need to operate equipment safely and efficiently. Without robust and accurate simulation, even the most advanced hardware setups would fail to deliver meaningful training outcomes.
A simulation will typically include the following elements:
The virtual environment consists of detailed 3D models of construction sites, ports, or other operational environments where training is meant to take place. These environments are designed to replicate real-world conditions, allowing trainees to experience and respond to various challenges they would encounter on the job, such as pedestrians walking onto a jobsite or varying weather conditions. The virtual environment will feature visual elements, along with sound effects, lighting, and soil behavior.
Advanced algorithms simulate the physical behavior of the machine and its interactions with the environment, including load dynamics, wind effects, soil compaction, and collisions. This ensures that every movement and response within the simulation reflects what would happen in the real world with real machines, providing trainees with an accurate learning experience.
Training exercises are the different scenarios that allow trainees to practice and develop their skillset. On an excavator simulator, for example, trainees might practice trenching techniques, while a crane simulator may include exercises on how to control the pendulum. These exercises can range in difficulty from beginner to advanced, and can even incorporate team training or signalperson training.
You can’t manage what you can’t measure, which is why the quality of a simulation’s data and the depth of its reporting features are important. The data extracted from training sessions should accurately reflect a meaningful evaluation of an operator’s skills and any safety violations they commit. If the simulation’s machine behavior is accurate, then the data the simulation provides will also be accurate and offer valuable insights into everything from fuel consumption to cycle times. These insights help instructors objectively evaluate trainee performance and measure progress over time. In addition, they can even be used for costing and forecasting projects.
Some simulations provide the ability to inject faults such as machine malfunctions, different weather conditions, or environmental distractions into exercises. In essence, situations you wouldn’t want to encounter in real life, but nonetheless need to be prepared for. An instructor could, for example, suddenly limit an operator’s visibility to see how they respond and offer guidance on what to do.
While the quality of a simulation and the quality of a simulator are important, how they interact with each other is also essential. How the motion platform moves when the equipment is at risk of tipping, how the controls offer resistance, how the simulated machine advances or stops when the operator presses down on the pedals—each of these details builds muscle memory. It is this relationship between simulator and simulation that ultimately allows an operator to develop skills that transfer to real equipment.
There are many benefits to using heavy equipment operator simulators for training.
- Operators can practice dangerous maneuvers that would be impossible to safely practice on real equipment. New operators just starting out also benefit from the added experience they receive on a simulator, reducing the likelihood of an accident occurring.
- Operators can practice an exercise over and over, checking their times to objectively observe their progress and performance. That concentrated practice can help even experienced operators reduce their cycle times and complete their work faster.
- Completing initial training on a simulator rather than on real equipment protects your equipment from added wear and tear. That provides savings on maintenance costs, fuel costs, and the cost of pulling equipment from a job to do training instead.
- Simulators use less energy to run than a real piece of heavy equipment. As a result, switching to simulators for initial training reduces the amount of emissions created, helping you reach your CO2 emissions targets.
- Heavy equipment operator simulators are available 24/7, In other words, simulation training isn’t interrupted by weather conditions, equipment availability, or other factors that can cause delays and disruptions. In fact, many companies dedicate downtime to training operators on simulators.
- Because simulating training offers concentrated training and is available 24/7, it speeds up training times significantly.
Many industries use simulation to safely train their workers:
- Aviation: Flight simulators are used to train pilots in various flight scenarios without the risks associated with real flight.
- Forestry: Simulations help loggers learn to operate heavy machinery safely and efficiently in a controlled environment.
- Construction: Simulation training allows construction operators to practice operating equipment and performing complex tasks, reducing on-site accidents.
- Utilities: Utility companies use simulation training to prepare workers for handling emergencies and maintaining infrastructure safely.
- Ports: Simulations train port operators to manage cargo handling and logistics, improving efficiency and safety.
- Defense: Military personnel use simulations for mission planning, and to practice combat scenarios, strategy, and equipment handling without real-world risks.
- Agriculture: Farmers and agricultural workers use simulators to learn about precision farming techniques and machinery operation.
- Healthcare: Medical professionals use simulation training to practice surgeries, patient care, and emergency response, enhancing their skills without endangering patients.
- Mining: Operator training using simulators to improve safety and reduce haul truck fuel consumption.
Want to learn more about simulation training? Check out our e-book series:
E-book #1: Measuring the ROI in Simulation-based Training
E-book #2: The Benefits of Simulator Training for Heavy Equipment Operators
E-book #3: Success with Simulator Training: Case Files
E-book #4: 10 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying a Training Simulator
