[1][2] Pointman was developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to support the use of dismounted infantry simulation for USMC training and mission rehearsal.
He uses his hands to operate virtual weapons and direct tactical movement, and he uses his feet for stepping and controlling his avatar's postural height.
[1][2] Pointman uses a set of three consumer grade input devices: a Natural Point TrackIR 5 head tracker, a Sony DualShock 3 gamepad, and a pair of flight simulator foot pedals from CH Products.
[1] Gamepad buttons are mapped to control various weapon operations (including firing and reloading) and aiming functions (such as the optic zoom level).
[2] This allows users to take precise, measured steps when moving around obstacles or cover, and to continuously vary their speed over a realistic range of walking, running and crawling gaits.
Pointman-enhanced VBS (VBS-Pointman) supports the operation of a wide range of small arms and additional forms of mobility, including climbing, swimming, and mounted roles (driver, passenger and gunner) using the full complement of manned vehicles.
[1] A formal Military Utility Assessment (MUA) of Pointman integrated with VBS2 was performed by the MarForPac Experimentation Center at MCB Hawaii in September 2011.
The primary recommendation of the MUA report was: “Transition the Pointman DISI (dismounted infantry simulation interface) enhancements into VBS2 to increase realism and efficacy as a virtual training aid.”[6] NRL is continuing[when?]
This involves extending Pointman to include non-verbal communications (such as eye movements, facial expression, and arm gestures) needed to support team and cross-cultural interaction, without limiting tactical mobility.