Two-dimensional experiences are no longer enough in the modern online marketplace and in a variety of learning and training contexts. Today’s customers, trainees, students, and even athletes are quickly coming to expect virtual training options to bring products, education, and training to life, particularly in remote contexts.
Companies and organizations that adapt to this growing demand by embracing extended reality training, serious games, and virtual trainers set themselves apart from the competition and stay relevant amidst rapidly changing technology.
HigherEchelon can catapult your training to the next level with custom-designed immersive technology that your customers, employees, trainees, students, or athletes will love.
HigherEchelon provides next-level customer service in end-to-end solutions that eliminate the need to use multiple vendors. We draw upon our deep strategic expertise to build solutions that will still be relevant for years to come. Our process-oriented approach ensures the client’s vision is front and center through each stage of design and development from initial brainstorms through release and post-launch support.
We utilize game engines such as Unreal Engine and Unity 3D and do cross-platform development across PC (Windows/Mac/Linux), Mobile (iOS/Android), and Browser technologies (HTML5/WebGL).
Our team takes gaming and simulation development to the next level with the use of Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR/VR). We have developed training applications using the Meta VR platform (Rift, Quest), HTC Vive, Google Cardboard, and Apple ARKit platforms.
Through our signature game development process, we guide you from concept to post-release support in a high-touch, customer-first relationship tailored to your needs and budget. Additionally, we can plug into your existing game development team through asset creation and staff augmentation to help you scale production capabilities when it matters most.
Whether it is an online demo that showcases a 3D version of your product, or an immersive training experience for remote employees, we provide solutions that take experiences to the next level, engaging a full range of senses and emotions as users engage with the product or training.
We build Serious Games and Trainers for soldiers and others who need realistic training environments that safely reproduce the challenging, complex, intense, and often dangerous real-world environments and situations they enter. Our highly realistic, game-based, tailored applications allow us to meet the needs of any industry in which realistic training is paramount to prepare for adverse environments.
Example: America’s Army Platform
HigherEchelon supports the Army Game Studio in the ongoing development of the America’s Army Platform, used across dozens of Unreal-based Serious Games for the U.S. Army warfighter. This platform was initially created for America’s Army, a popular free-to-play first-person online game.
Immersive XR training experiences are perfect for industries that are high-stress or dangerous — particularly for situations in which it is crucial to be prepared, but difficult or expensive to replicate the scenarios that will be faced in the real-world. Extended reality provides practice reps in a realistic virtual environment that translates into sharpened skills in the real-world.
Example: U.S. Army Medical Virtual Reality (VR) Experience
The human brain and body experience extended reality situations as though they were happening in real life. Heart rates increase, sweat forms, pupils dilate, and fight-or-flight is activated — all within the safety of an XR training environment. This allows medical professional to practice high-stress or otherwise dangerous skills in a safe way. U.S. Army Medical VR was developed for the Army Game Studio to highlight various Army Medical careers.
Some of America’s best loved games were designed and developed by our team in support of the Army Game Studio, including GoArmy Edge Football — the virtual training solution praised by ESPN commentators, NFL players, NCAA teams, and thousands of coaches and players across the country. We also provide consulting and training services for coaches and teams who want to get the most out of their use of the free GoArmyEdge suite of apps.
Example: GoArmy Edge
GoArmy Edge is a suite of free-to-use applications designed to help athletes and coaches learn and prepare in a virtual environment before taking the field. GoArmy Edge is a unique cross-platform application (Mobile/Windows/Browser) that allows coaches to draw up plays and drills in a 2D editor and play them back in a full 3D virtual environment. HigherEchelon continues to provide support to the Army Game Studio in the production, design, and development of GoArmy Edge products.
“[GoArmyEdge Football] is a great invention. I praise the people who did it because it helps us a lot. …We just press play on the computer and then the play will snap and it gives us a good indication of what spot we need to be in and exactly what the play looks like.”
— Grant Delpit, NFL and former All-American LSU player in an ESPN interview
Today’s learner has a growing spectrum of resources available to support their learning styles and educational journey. The award-winning STEM games and applications we design and develop are scalable resources that kids and adults use to reinforce information in memorable formats that make learning fun. We create engaging applications to support any learning objective.
Example: U.S. Army STARS: Elements
STARS: Elements is a free educational application developed by the Army Game Studio designed to help high-school chemistry students better understand the subject. HigherEchelon provided development support for this application, which won the Best Mobile, Student’s Choice and People’s Choice awards in the Serious Games Challenge at the 2016 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).
