A new video game (named TMCSuperTech: The Game) by Design Interactive will offer players a chance to test their technician skills using augmented reality technology.
Design Interactive’s product is a game for Android or Apple phones and tablets that models the Technology & Maintenance Council’s National Technician Skills Competition (or TMCSuperTech), the annual two-day skills for professional commercial vehicle technicians that includes hands-on challenges that real technicians face every day. Using AR technology, vehicles navigate a fictional city with fleets of moving trucks that require virtual service. Players execute tasks inspired by TMCSuperTech events, and points are awarded or deducted for the time trucks are repaired and for the longer they remain in service.
Similar AR technology is used in training environments to give students better access to expensive tools and parts while learning the skills necessary to perform the kind of complex repairs and maintenance that today’s commercial vehicles require.
“We made the decision to create this game with Design Interactive for two primary reasons,” said Robert Braswell TMC executive director. “To promote awareness of the vocation among middle and high school students who make up the next generation of vehicle maintenance personnel and to help technicians prepare for the TMCSuperTech competition by providing a hands-on training experience for the skills challenges.”
