During this week’s Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, WV, the U.S. Navy will showcase the Nimitz, a mobile, state-of the-art virtual reality experience that simulates an actual high-speed Navy SEAL mission. Video preview of the Nimitz.
Inside the Nimitz, which is housed in a massive, unfolding 18-wheeler, participants go through a video briefing before strapping on an Oculus Rift headset and a piece of wearable technology called a SubPac (traditionally used by Club DJs) that percusses in real time to the sounds of the mission. Visitors navigate the mission using a cutting-edge steering wheel and throttle system that replicate the actual sensation of piloting a high-speed, Navy Special Warfare Combatant Craft. Once finished, participants move to the debriefing station, where they receive feedback and a performance grade.
In addition to showcasing the Nimitz VR experience, current Navy officers – many of whom are former Boy Scouts – will be on site to distribute Honor, Courage, Commitment (Navy core values) pins and patches to Scouts who visit the Nimitz. Navy officers also will host a “Hunt for the USS Boy Scout” scavenger hunt, whereby Scouts will have the chance to search for miniature replicas of the USS Boy Scout, which was an actual wooden Navy patrol ship that mysteriously disappeared in 1920.