Installing a composite pack correctly can mean the difference between a stable roof and a fatality. The Composite Pack MR application trains workers to build and pre-stress a composite pack support system in a virtual underground stope — before they ever encounter one underground.
Using Meta Quest headsets, trainees physically kneel, stack, and position interlocking concrete blocks guided by holographic overlays, transitioning seamlessly between mixed and virtual reality as the task progresses. The full installation procedure is covered step by step: placing the base, stacking blocks to the correct height, positioning the pressure plate, wedging off-cuts to eliminate play, and inflating the pack to apply active pre-load against the hangingwall.
The application supports an entire class or crew simultaneously — each trainee working independently in their own virtual environment — making it as effective for mine induction programmes and refresher training as it is for university education.
Developed through a formal research partnership between XRi Solutions and the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Pretoria, the application is built on a research-led methodology: every training objective is defined upfront, every interaction is mapped to a measurable outcome, and learner performance data is captured for every session.
Safe. Repeatable. Evidence-based.