The Future of Modeling, Gaming and Simulation

J. Peter Kincaid, Ph.D.Institute for Simulation and Training

University of Central Florida

August 27, 2008

pkincaid@ist.ucf.edu

Roots and Evolution of Modeling and Simulation

• Beginnings of modern simulation go back to the 1930’s (Link Flight Simulator)

• Simulation techniques for warfare go back thousands of years (e.g., sand tables, war games)

• Since the 1960’s investment in simulation has been considerable (e.g., NASA, the military and civilian airline and aircraft industry)

• M&S is recognized as a separate function by military agencies and in industry.

• Large multi-national companies are recognizing M&S as a separate career field.

Link Trainer (circa 1935)

Edwin A. Link

World War II – Blue Box

Commercial Flight Simulators

B747-400 Simulator

B777 Simulator Cockpit

B737, with the runway in the distance

Apollo 13 Mission

The Apollo Lunar Module Simulator was used Extensively in the Rescue Efforts of the Apollo 13 Mission

SIMNET- Instructor Station

SIMNET Helicopter Trainer

Home Computer Games

Microsoft Flight Simulator

SimCity

Roots and Evolution of M&S

• Graduate programs in M&S have proliferated in the US and graduate programs now exist in Europe

• M&S Professional Certification established in 2002• The military, particularly the US Army, has increased the

number of M&S specialists, both military officers (FA57) and civilian (CP39) which requires specialized training

• Centers of Excellence in Modeling, Simulation and Training (MS&T) are prospering and proliferating

• Increasing degree of technology transfer between simulation and games for entertainment (e.g., America’s Army, Microsoft Flight Simulator)

• Game technology very advanced but needs to be modified for training- “serious games”

Recent Publicity: NY Times

“ MS&T has matured into a complex, multi- disciplinary science requiring knowledge contributed from psychologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, statisticians, digital artists and engineers, to name a few.”

Wall Street Journal by Augustine and Richter (May 4, 2005. pg. A18)

Background- M&S Graduate Programs

• First M&S master’s program in the US was first offered by the University of Central Florida’s Industrial Engineering Department in the early 1980’s

• Three US universities now offer Ph.D.’s in M&S– University of Central Florida– Old Dominion University– Naval Post Graduate School

• Masters Degrees– University of Arizona– Arizona State University– University of Alabama at Huntsville – University of California, Chico, San Diego– George Mason University– University of Orebro, Sweden

Georgia Tech offers M&S concentration within Engineering and Computer Science

• M&S in the Acquisition Life Cycle, Part 1• M&S in the Acquisition Life Cycle, Part 2• M&S Strategy and Support Plans• M&S Requirements and Evaluating M&S Proposals• Contracting for M&S• Best Practices in M&S• M&S in Decision Risk Analysis and Mitigation• M&S Environments • M&S data Strategies• M&S for Test and Evaluation, Introduction• M&S for Test and Evaluation, Advanced• Introduction to Engineering M&S Applications• Physics-based M&S• Basic Engineering Concepts in M&S, Part 1• Basic Engineering Concepts in M&S, Part 2• Selected Topics in the Application of Engineering M&S

Courses: M&S for Acquisition

Key Aspects of UCF M&S Program

• Multidisciplinary and flexible• Good laboratory, library & research resources• Courses

– Three core courses developed for program– 100+ existing courses (and growing)

• Partnerships• 60+ faculty• Financial Support for small student projects-

$500 - $5000- (“Small Grants Program”) funded through industry and private donations

Key Aspects of M&S Graduate Programs

• Co-located with M&S Centers of Excellence

• Most cooperate with academic research centers

• Multi-disciplinary• Rapidly evolving and maturing

UCF Modeling and Simulation Dissertations

• Implementing Lexical and Creative Intentionality in Synthetic Personality (Erik Vick, March 2005)

• Navigation Aids in Route Training (John Holmquist, April 2005)

• Session-Based Intrusion Detection System to Map Anomalous Network Traffic (Bruce D. Caulkins, November 2005)

• A Framework to Model Complex Systems via Distributed Simulation (Jaebok Park, April 2006)

• User-Centered Virtual Environment Assessment and Design for Cognitive Rehabilitation Applications (Cali Fidopiastis, May 2006)

UCF Modeling and Simulation Dissertations

• A Common Component-Based Software Architecture for Military and Commercial PC-Based Virtual Simulation (Joshua S. Lewis, June 2006)

• A Hybrid Simulation Methodology to Evaluate Network Centric Decision (Sergio Quijada, July 2006)

• Interchanging Discrete Event Simulation Process-Interaction Models using the Web Ontology Language – OWL (Lee Lacy, November 2006)

• Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Through Synthetic Learning Experiences: Implementing Virtual Field Trips into Classrooms (Alicia Sanchez. November 2006)

• Manual Control of Micro UAV (John Neumann, November 2006)

Key UCF M&S Research CentersKey UCF M&S Research Centers

Institute for Simulation & Training Driver Simulators Team Performance Laboratory Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) National Center for Forensic Science Robotics Labs

Institute for Simulation & Training Driver Simulators Team Performance Laboratory Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) National Center for Forensic Science Robotics Labs

Resources for M&S Research

Media Literacy

• The average American spends…– An estimated 318 min per day with electronic media

(TV, internet, games)– Only 66 min per day with print media

(newspaper, books, magazines)

• By age 21, the average person will have…– Spent 10,000 hours playing video games– Received 200,000 emails– Spent 20,000 hours watching TV– Talked 10,000 hours on cell phones– Spent under 5,000 hours reading

Source: http://www1.medialiteracy.com/stats_tv.jsp

Major Business Applications

• Films– Animated films– Non-animated films with computer graphics

• Home entertainment– Video games for entertainment– Games for education and training– Business exceeds motion pictures and music

• Theme Parks– Rides – Attractions

A Few Films with Computer Graphics

• Animated films – The Incredibles– Madagascar– Toy Story

• Non-animated films – Star Wars– Terminator 2– Pirates of the Caribbean– Harry Potter

Home Entertainment: Learning Motor Skills

Rhythm Games Dancing

Guitar Hero Dance Dance Revolution

Trends in Computer Based Gaming

• On-line gaming• Worldwide, networked, real-time,

multiplayer domain• Total entertainment network

Issues for Educators

• How will games be integrated with traditional teaching methods?– Will the time students spend on games take

away from other activities (reading, lectures, papers)?

– Will games encourage students to resist more “boring” activities?

– Is there a risk that games will displace traditional teaching methods? Would that be good or bad?

Intuitive Means for Robotic Control: UAV Controller

• A research simulation environment to investigating training issues relevant to introduction of robotic elements into Army operations.

Game Controller vs. Joy Stick for UAV Control

Game Controller Better