How can fire brigades make use of virtual and augmented reality? The Immersive Lab team explored this question, and Peter Mohr-Ziak presented the results at the Forum Feuerwehr Forscht 2026 at Graz University of Technology in September. With two technology demonstrations developed specifically for the forum, participants were able to try them out for themselves. The aim was to raise awareness of the potential that VR and AR offer for fire brigades.
One of these demonstrations focused on virtual reality and its potential for immersive firefighter training. The team developed a VR scenario set in a simulated garage, in which participants moved through the virtual space using their own bodies and had to identify potential fire sources and hazards. The headset recorded whether they had checked every corner. Wearing a respiratory protection mask over the headset made the training conditions even more realistic. In the future, this approach could make it possible to train for a range of different scenarios with relatively little effort.
The second technology demonstration used augmented reality. To support operational coordination in difficult terrain, AR glasses projected a fire situation map onto the real environment. Participants used hand gestures to place symbols indicating fire hotspots, trapped persons, and firefighting resources directly on the map. At the same time, they were able to remain aware of their physical surroundings at all times. This approach could enable several people to collaborate on the same situation map.
