Meet Actuator Digital – a software studio bringing ideas to life using virtual reality (VR).

Founded eight years ago by Studio Director Sebastiaan Fehr, Actuator specialises in marrying industry with games, building software solutions for both enterprise and entertainment with the heart of a games studio.

Driven by a passion for creating games, the team have worked on games such as Hitman VR and Into Black, as well as recently releasing their own game On Point – an arcade-inspired VR first person shooter developed entirely in-house.

Seb and his team recognised the opportunity to also leverage these skills and technologies for enterprise solutions, providing them with diverse means to support Actuator’s growth.

“We’re doing commercial projects, but with the heart, the goals, and the culture of a game studio.”

As well as their work developing games with studios including PlaySide and The Binary Mill, Actuator have also worked in the construction, mining and medical technologies – and most recently, agricultural technologies.

“The focus of the studio lately, as well as continuing to develop those games, has been SkyKelpie, which is a drone mustering simulation for the purposes of training.”

SkyKelpie was founded by Luke Chaplain, a fourth generation grazier from North West Queensland, and is now a world leader in drone mustering and aerial stockmanship, with a vision to share this knowledge and innovation with other livestock handlers.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Traditionally a job for cattle dogs, modern mustering has seen motorbikes and even helicopters enter the field – however in addition to potentially agitating the cattle, these can be dangerous and expensive solutions.

Having proven the effectiveness of drones as powerful mustering tools, SkyKelpie approached Actuator with a unique vision – the creation of a single-player game that would not only simulate drone flying skills, but also teach players the art of cattle mustering using drones.

This virtual training solution needed to accurately reflect the real-world experience of piloting a drone for cattle mustering, including realistic environments, sophisticated cattle behaviour modelling, and the delivery of engaging experiences whilst meeting practical training goals.

WHY XR?

Training drone pilots is a challenging and high-risk process, requiring pilots with minimal experience to use expensive equipment to conduct difficult and highly technical manoeuvres – especially in the context of mustering.

Virtual simulation training provides first-time pilots with realistic environments and mechanics to develop critical foundational skills, without risk to equipment or livestock.

The development of this solution also presented another valuable opportunity – the foundations of a first-person view (FPV) and VR visual line of sight (VLOS) drone flight simulator, applicable across industries and use cases, independent of cattle mustering.

“By separating the drone training components of the software we made from the cattle mustering components of it, we now have a platform that we intend to take to any number of drone trades.”

THE SOLUTION

The development process was highly collaborative, with detailed planning and iterative prototyping based on regular input and expertise from SkyKelpie.

To achieve a realistic drone piloting experience, the thrust and weight of each motor was simulated with physics, ensuring accurate movement and control response of a drone.

Another unique challenge was the simulation of realistic responses from cattle, which saw Actuator working with cattle mustering experts to design an accurate algorithmic model of cattle behaviour – including their reaction to the drone based on factors such as proximity and environment.

“There’s an area around the cow where they will start to notice the sound of the drone. They’ll start to look for the drone and identify it by eye. They’ll be wary of it and stop what they’re doing if the drone’s around, and then as it comes in, they’ll start to become a little bit more agitated and respond. And the way they respond to all sorts of factors, like their proximity to a safe place like a watering hole, the proximity to other cattle, they have a desire to group up and also to spread out depending on the amount of pressure they’re feeling. It’s very possible that we have the most sophisticated cattle AI simulation in the world right now in this project.”

THE RESULTS

Factoring in these complex technical elements as well as engaging and interactive elements to enhance immersion, the result is a visually impressive and highly functional training simulation game – and the beginning of a bright future and ongoing partnership.

The project has been immensely successful so far, with future plans including automation of the drone mustering process, rollout of the drone flight simulator to other trades, and expansion of the experience using VR.

“There’s very little difference between putting [an FPV drone] headset on and putting a VR headset on. By extending what SkyKelpie can do to enhance its experience using virtual reality, we’re going to be able to bring the training to a whole new level where, with the accuracy of our simulation, the experience will be indistinguishable from flying a real drone without any of the costs or risks involved.”

The team at Actuator are no strangers to sitting on the cutting edge of new technologies, and are excited to see industry appetite growing as businesses see VR’s capabilities as a practical tool for training and productivity. For their drone simulator with SkyKelpie, which is already demonstrating strong product-market fit, it’s a promising avenue for Actuator’s expertise in marrying immersive technologies with industry.

“We see a big future for SkyKelpie. We see a project where we can take a product to market and sell it as an entertainment product, as a game. And we also see a huge amount of potential inside of training – not just for Sky Kelpie, but for the drone industry at large.”

 

“The future of that project is exciting and bright for us, and VR is going to play a large part in where the roadmap for that project goes.”

Read more on Actuator’s website: Drone Simulation and Cattle Mustering for Sky Kelpie

ABOUT ACTUATOR

Actuator provides industry-leading technical game development services. They love hearing about new ideas, and are excited to help bring them to life. With a flexible custom software development process, they work efficiently according to their client’s needs, while minimising cost and producing first-rate apps. They may be a small team, but they make big things.