Ditch Witch Introduces HDD VR Simulator To Provide Realistic Horizontal Directional Drill Training

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Ditch Witch has released an HDD VR Simulator that provides both novice and experienced horizontal directional drill operators a simulated but realistic underground jobsite environment for training to operate underground horizontal drills. (Photo courtesy of Ditch Witch.)

Ditch Witch knows a thing or two about underground utility construction equipment. After all, as the company itself says, it “invented the utility construction industry.” It’s not surprising then that Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works-owned company, recently introduced what it claims is the industry’s first VR (virtual reality) simulator aimed at preparing HDD (horizontal directional drill) operators for safe underground equipment operation. Ditch Witch is making the simulator available to HDD contractors and education centers to purchase at local Ditch Witch dealers.

Realistic Training

In a statement announcing the simulator, Ditch Witch cites a 2017 DIRT (Damage Information Reporting Tool) report that claims more than 50% of reported underground utility damages result from insufficient excavation practices. Besides helping HDD operators get more familiar with HDD equipment, Greg Wolfe, Ditch Witch director of training, says the simulator provides a realistic jobsite environment but without the risks that come with putting novice operators in complex environments. Combined with the company’s certified HDD training curriculum, Wolfe says the simulator provides “the proper training to safely and effectively complete an HDD jobsite project without the pressure of consequences from mistakes.”

Suitable for both novice and experience operators, the simulator program progresses operators through a series of increasingly difficult lessons before evaluating and educating them on machine functions, product location, damage prevention, extended bend radius, and steering. “The program emphasizes damage prevention by requiring operators to preplan, set up equipment correctly, and test protective systems,” Ditch Witch says.

What’s In The Kit?

The HDD VR Simulator package provides a portable operator station, joystick, dongle, lead motion detector sensor, and VR goggles. The package notably uses the same joysticks as Ditch Witch HDD equipment uses.

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Source: Ditch Witch