programs, and to perform human factor studies that guide the continued development of the simulators. VMT has also established solid working relationships with the big-gest lifeboat manufacturers in the world. Another simulation capacity is that of subsea ROV (Re-mote Operated Vehicle) and AUV (Autonomous Under-water Vehicle) simulation, thanks to GRi Simulations Inc. GRi began to focus on simulation technologies in 1999. Answering a training requirement for ROV operators, the company took a new approach of utilizing networked PCs rather than the approach of large workstations that had been the previous focus of industry.From there, the innovations continued, GRi creating a level of detail in its simulations that eclipsed the competi-tion. For instance, GRi found a way to accurately simulate the tethers that connect ROVs to surface ships, preventing what Stephen Dodd, VP Operations, describes as poten-tial “negative learning”, whereby ROV pilots trained using inferior simulators might run into potentially very costly dif