In the bunny-suited clean rooms of semiconductor fabrication, botching a silicon wafer assembly can cost thousands of dollars. Operator-training takes months and is often inconsistent, with different technicians receiving training of varying quality.
Bothered by this hit-and-miss method, Tom Orton, a director of training at Intel in the 1980s, began experimenting with virtual reality as a way to streamline the process. In 1996, Orton cofounded Modis Training Technologies in Mesa, Arizona, to fully render his vision of VR-based training, and later that year the company delivered its first software package. Today, Modis can barely keep up with demand, with clients such as Motorola, IBM, and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems seeking customized VR packages.
The training mimics every aspect of the manufacturing process, down to putting on bunny suits and the color of employee lockers. This level of detail helps smooth the transition from the training world to the plant, Orton believes. The results are impressive: VR training takes one-tenth the time and cuts the cost in half.
The simulations can run on a company's intranet, so several employees can access it, even from different geographical locations. IBM is training chip fabricators at both its Vermont and Ireland plants using a single Modis package.
Modis is also ideal for small companies that lack large training facilities. "We've been growing 50 percent a year," says Ian Burrows, vice president for fab operations at Vitesse Semiconductor. "We needed a program that could get people rapidly up to speed and could cut down training time."
Modis is the only company offering VR training to the tech sector, according to Ann Elias at the Human Interface Technology Lab at the University of Washington.
Orton plans to expand Modis VR to the utilities, medical, and nuclear industries soon. "This technology could have a dramatic impact," says Orton. "Efficiency is unlocked when you allow someone to practice and apply what they have learned before doing it for real."
This article originally appeared in the June issue of Wired magazine.
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