Booz Allen Utilizes Unreal Engine Gaming Technology to Develop Military Training Simulations

Booz Allen Hamilton is utilizing products of Unreal Engine to enhance simulations in a push to meet the demand for real-time, higher-detail visuals from military customers for training purposes.

Unreal Engine said Friday it provides Booz Allen the tools to replicate the real world to guide service members and other customers in operations, medical and emergency response to conduct paratrooper training, navigate subterranean environments and respond to airborne hazards.

“We’re starting to adopt a lot of the industry practices that you see common throughout the triple-A games industry,” said Derald Wise, a virtual/augmented reality expert at Booz Allen.

Unreal Engine offers open source C++ architecture to help developers scale projects and speed up integration of legacy systems with new simulation tools.

“Unreal Engine’s high-detail visuals are important because, in an operational environment, when soldiers are walking around in their real world, every minor detail is a source of information that allows them to not only increase their situational awareness, but to make better decisions, especially when there are life-and-death considerations,” Wise said.

Booz Allen currently operates studios in Washington, Texas, North Carolina and D.C., among other sites, where the company integrates gaming platforms, engines and 3D software to create training simulations.

Wise said game engines like UE4 may soon serve as the testbed for companies seeking to replicate real-world environments for the development of new technologies, like space systems and artificial intelligence.