VRAI launches cognitive load analysis tool to redefine exceptional human performance

Simulation company VRAI are launching a new cognitive load analysis tool at I/ITSEC this year. The tool is available through their HEAT platform, which provides their customers the ability to transform their simulation data into actionable insights.

HEAT’s cognitive load analysis uses data captured during training to provide a deeper understanding of a trainee’s individual cognitive capacity and performance.

This powerful feature helps instructors to understand the trainees cognitive capacity throughout a training exercise. This paves the way for tailored training that builds resilience, precision, and effectiveness.

VRAI will be showcasing the new tool as part of the Bohemia Interactive stand at I/ITSEC in Orlando, Florida this year using a VBS4 based driving sim experience. Jenna Tuck, Senior Director of Partnerships, Bohemia Interactive Simulations said:

"At Bohemia Interactive Simulations, we’re focused on delivering meaningful solutions that directly support our warfighters. The new cognitive load functionality in the HEAT plugin for VBS is a powerful example of innovation in action—enabling instructors to deliver more effective, tailored training. We’re excited to showcase this capability at I/ITSEC and demonstrate how it’s helping redefine what’s possible in military training."

tasks. An optimal cognitive load is essential to ensure that trainees can absorb complex information, develop situational awareness, and respond to rapidly changing scenarios. Sufficiently stressing students without overwhelming them is key to achieving this balance, fostering growth, and preparing them for real-world demands.

The Cognitive Load feature combines eye-tracking and physiological data, such as heart rate variability (HRV), to assess a trainee’s mental workload during training. By identifying moments of high cognitive load, HEAT provides actionable insights into task difficulty and performance under pressure.

Niall Campion, VRAI’s Managing Director for Product & Customers said:

“We're very excited and incredibly proud to be able to bring our cognitive load measurement and visualisation to HEAT customers. It represents years of research and development and is a manifestation of our belief that data is the untapped resource in training. By having access to large data sets we can deliver meaningful actionable insights to our customers.”

Some of the key benefits of this tool are:

Enhanced Training Customization

By understanding when and how a trainee reaches cognitive capacity, instructors can personalize training sessions, adjusting intensity and pacing to maximize learning.

Improved Skill Retention

Managing cognitive load helps ensure that trainees remain engaged and effective, reducing the risk of mental fatigue and improving knowledge retention.

Objective Performance Measurement

Cognitive load data provides objective feedback on a trainee’s mental effort and stress response, allowing for more accurate assessment and targeted feedback.

HEAT is fundamentally designed to capture, store, analyse and visualize human performance data from simulation, delivering actionable insights via metrics like cognitive load. HEAT captures data not only from simulators but also from off-the-shelf biometric devices such as eye-tracking glasses and heart rate monitors. This data is stored in a relational database, associating it with individual user profiles—key to assessing cognitive load on a personalized level.

As cognitive capacity varies between individuals, accurate assessments require tailored profiles rather than generalized evaluations. HEAT deploys an algorithm to analyze data in near real-time, delivering actionable insights to instructors via a dashboard immediately after a session.

VRAI have a history of pushing the boundaries of what is possible in simulation, as they aim to unlocked the untapped resource of simulation data.

VRAI’s mission is to redefine exceptional human performance through data driven training. They aim to unlock every individual’s full potential in order to help save lives.

VRAI are working with some of the leading European aerospace and defence companies, including BAE Systems, Kongsberg and Babcock, as well as working directly to a number of European militaries, and at the forefront of simulation related R&D via organizations such as UK’s DASA, NATO M&S and the European Defence Fund.

To find out more, please visit: https://www.vraisimulation.com/