Exploring Affordable Mixed Reality Fire Pump Training Using a COTS Head-Mounted Display and Passive Haptics

Simulation-Based training is increasingly utilized because training professionals on real equipment can be costly and time-consuming, requiring the removal of machines and environments from operational use. Advanced Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) simulators, though offering enhanced interaction, are often complex, costly, and difficult to maintain. Partnering with the Cologne fire department, we are developing an MR simulator for fire pump training using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions to tackle those challenges. We use a Meta Quest 3 head-mounted display to visualize a virtual replica of the fire pump, combined with wooden physical props to provide passive haptic feedback. This paper documents the development process and discusses initial findings, i.e., concerning spatial alignment without external visual tracking and regarding hand tracking based interaction. We propose a resulting research agenda for this approach and discuss opportunities and limitations to amplify user and training experience through affordable MR.