MYMIC, L.L.C. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: ABSTRACT: MYMIC is developing the Virtual Control Room (VCoR) National Transonic Facilit

Description

ABSTRACT: MYMIC is developing the Virtual Control Room (VCoR) National Transonic Facility (NTF) for NASA Langley. The VCoR-NTF system will support training NTF control room operators, provide a system for capturing NASA knowledge, and provide an environment for expert control room operators to practice their skills. During the development process, MYMIC will construct an Initial Operating Capability (IOC) VCoR to support capturing NTF procedures and formatting them for training. In addition, the Team will develop a training management structure to provide NASA the ability to capture expert knowledge and provide the knowledge to new control room operators in a single format and from a single location. The development during the construction of the IOC will result in a VCoR system capable of supporting future NTF procedure development. BENEFIT: The VCoR-NTF system will benefit NASA by reducing the cost to train control room operators and by providing a single environment to capture and store expert knowledge. Currently NTF control room training requires between 18 and 24 months, and training can only occur during live runs of the NTF tunnel. By incorporating the VCoR-NTF system, NASA will reduce the time and overhead required to train by providing training opportunities outside live tunnel runs and by providing a 24/7 source of training. In addition, the VCoR-NTF system will allow NASA to prepare new operators to deal with hazardous situations, something they can only currently practice if a hazardous event arises during live runs. In addition to the benefits VCoR provides to training, the system will also provide a capability for NASA to capture expert knowledge that may otherwise be lost. As NASA begins to face an increasing need to reduce costs while maintaining capabilities, the need to capture expert knowledge and more effectively relay the information to new users, the VCoR system will support this capability sustainment. The knowledge capture and presentation will allow NASA to cross-train personnel, increasing the number of individuals who can support operations, and helping reduce the impact of personnel lost to cost cuts and retirement. Outside of NASA, the VCoR system is applicable to all control room settings. While the current system has a virtual environment which mimics a wind tunnel control room, the underlying system construct is applicable to all control room settings. This will allow MYMIC to take the VCoR system to markets outside the wind tunnel application and with minimal modification, provide these control rooms with the same powerful training platform. From a commercialization perspective, MYMIC proposes to introduce VCoR throughout the NASA facilities at LaRC (Langley Research Center) where this effort is being deployed. Furthermore, while conducting VCoR reviews with the ATP (Aeronautics Test Program) personnel from Glenn Research Center, the AEDC (Arnold Engineering Development Complex) and AMES Research Center; MYMIC discovered that needs exist at these locations for VCoR type training. MYMIC"s first meeting outside of LaRC is scheduled for October 24, 2012 at Glenn Research Center. MYMIC foresees additional commercialization opportunities throughout all of NASA as well as private industry where Wind Tunnels are utilized. For example, MYMIC intends to approach the Boeing facilities in Seattle, WA; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL; the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA; and other wind tunnels throughout the United States and beyond.