UPS uses VR headsets for driver safety training in UK and Germany

UPS is to use virtual reality (VR) headsets for driver safety training in the UK and Germany.

The technology has been introduced to the UPS Integrad training facilities in Cologne and Burton-Upon-Trent, replacing the touchscreen devices previously used. It simulates the driving experience with a 360-degree view of local streets, helping students to identify typical local hazards.

“Virtual Reality offers a technological leap in the realm of driver safety training,” said UPS’ chief information and engineering officer, Juan Perez.

“VR creates a realistic streetscape that will impress even the youngest of our drivers, whose previous exposure to the technology may have been through video games.”

The VR training modules will initially be used only for the drivers of parcel delivery trucks, but a tractor trailer version may show up in the future.

The Cologne facility, which opened in 2016, and the Burton-Upon-Trent facility, which opened in 2017, are the first two Integrad centres in Europe. There are currently 10 in the United States.

Source: UPS