By Nancy Fornasiero
ACE Coworking is pleased and proud to be supporting an exciting new Ontario start-up dedicated to making our fire fighters safer. Catapult Tactical XR was the People’s Choice Winner at Haltech’s Hi5 Pitch Competition, which was sponsored in part by ACE Coworking. Part of the prize was an ACE membership, and that’s how the relationship started. Once we had a chance to experience their cutting-edge technology first-hand in a demo at our space, we became convinced that they are onto something unique and very effective. To say that we were impressed is an understatement.
Founded by a team of innovative tech experts and real-world fire fighters, Catapult Tactical XR emerged from the recognition of the need for better and safer training for all emergency responders. Recognizing that mixed reality can provide innovative and engaging training solutions, their first modules were designed.
CEO and Co-founder, Robyn Simpson, explains, “Fire fighters perform a dangerous job which requires extensive and ongoing training, but the training itself is expensive, destructive, dangerous, and less available than ever before due to safety and legislative concerns.” In her view, some scenarios are simply impossible to reproduce in a training environment.
Catapult Tactical creates mixed reality training tools that provide participants with a lived experience, or embodied cognition. This experiential learning helps form the muscle memory that is so critical to safety. With the brain tricked into believing the scenario is real, some participants even have visceral comments like “it was really warm in there.”
On Wednesday October 16, 5 to 8PM, Catapult Tactical, in cooperation with ACE Coworking, will be holding an information evening complete with demonstrations. Anyone interested in investment opportunities, fire safety education, or VR technology is welcome to attend.
Their target markets are both fire suppression and fire education organizations. They stand apart from their competitors for both immersion and realism. The start-up is currently raising money in a “Friends & Family” round.
For more information visit www.catapultdesignstudios.com
Or email Robyn.Simpson@CatapultDesignStudios.com
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