”It feels modern and innovative”
New training is currently being tested at PostNord in Sweden. Gone are classrooms, paper, and pencils. Instead, you perform tasks in a simulated 3D world.
“It feels strange to put on the headset. You really feel like you’re standing in a room. You can look around, both backwards and forwards, and it feels like there is actually a person in front of you explaining,” says Amal Ibrahim, who is a postman in Stockholm.
There are several benefits of learning through virtual reality (VR). The training period is often shorter, and you don’t have to depend on colleagues to learn new things. In addition, muscle memory and cognitive ability are trained – that is, memory, performance, and problem solving.
Patrik Ågren, Head of Leadership and Competence Development at PostNord Sweden, says that, “You could say that VR combines and compresses the learning process. You receive instructions, just like in a classroom, but then you can try to perform the tasks and practice them over and over again until you’ve nailed them.”
He got the idea for the VR training seeing how the clothing company H&M used the technology to train its warehouse staff.
“I got the opportunity to test H&M’s training environment and was fascinated by how natural it felt to walk around the virtual warehouse and solve various tasks.”
Amal Ibrahim has tested the training called “Vehicle Control”. This is the check that all drivers do before they go out on their round. Inside the training environment, you can study the virtual vehicle yourself, see if there is air in the tires, and look for damage. She says:
“The procedures are explained in a way that is easy to understand, much easier than if I had read the same thing on a piece of paper. It’s fun that PostNord is running this initiative. It feels modern and innovative.”
This is how VR works
The games and videos produced for virtual reality (VR) divide the screen inside the headset into two parts. Both display exactly the same thing, but slightly offset. Your eyes make the two parts blend together and this creates the 3D effect.
