Using tools such as a virtual-reality theatre with a 150-degree screen, a monster SGI computer, and a 10.2 Dolby sound system, the Institute for Creative Technology, affiliated with the University of Southern California, seeks to create interactive games that reflect 21st-century military challenges. It is at the forefront of work on AI and expects to create a virtual human able to talk, express emotions and display body language, within five years.

Soldiers will interact with such virtual characters in situations based on real events.