UPS to use VR headset for driver training
UPS will start using Virtual Reality (VR) headsets to help train its student delivery drivers to spot and identify road hazards. In a statement issued today (15 August), UPS said that it will begin launching VR training in September at its UPS Integrad training facilities.
“Virtual Reality offers a big technological leap in the realm of driver safety training,” said Juan Perez, UPS chief information and engineering officer. “VR creates a hyper-realistic streetscape that will dazzle even the youngest of our drivers whose previous exposure to the technology was through video games.”
The VR training modules will replace the touchscreen devices UPS Integrad facilities currently use to teach lessons on road hazards. For now, the VR training is only for those who drive package delivery trucks. But the company is exploring VR and even Augmented Reality (AR) for training tractor trailer drivers and performing other duties throughout the operation.
UPS currently operates eight UPS Integrad facilities in the United States and two others in Europe. Another U.S. facility is set to open this year, bringing the total to nine in the United States.
