Key Takeaways
Clear subject. This article is about Ludus Standalone, the wireless mode of the Ludus virtual reality platform for safety and health training.
Wireless training. Standalone mode lets organisations run Ludus simulations on compatible headsets without a PC or cables. Trainers can carry one case of equipment, move between sites, and start sessions with little setup.
Richer control. Inside the platform, trainers can install and update simulations, set scenarios and risks, launch exercises, and review results, all while staying within the VR workflow.
Concrete use cases. Fire-extinguisher drills, fire-hose cabinet practice, first-aid scenarios and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) simulations are already available or announced for this mode, with real-time feedback and guided or unguided paths.
Real benefits. Standalone mode reduces hardware needs, cuts travel and PC costs, speeds up deployment, and gives learners more freedom of movement during training.
Story & Details
A platform built around safety
Ludus is a European virtual reality platform created to support trainers in occupational health and safety. Its catalogue focuses on realistic, high-risk situations: fire response, falls from height, emergency care and industrial hazards. The aim is simple and direct. People can practise dangerous tasks in a safe, controlled space, repeat them as needed, and learn from mistakes without real-world harm.
What Standalone mode actually does
The Standalone update means that many of these simulations now run directly on headset hardware. A trainer signs in on the device, opens the Ludus application from the headset menu, and can manage the training flow from there. No desktop computer sits in the corner of the room. No long cable links the learner to a tower. The headset itself becomes the main tool.
Once inside the platform, trainers can install, uninstall or update modules; choose which simulations to use; and decide how they should behave. They can launch a fire-extinguisher drill, for example, then restart it or end it as soon as the exercise is over. The same control applies to fire-hose cabinet training or basic first-aid modules, which are already listed as Standalone-ready.
Scenarios, variables and actions
The configuration layer is one of the quiet strengths of the system. Before a simulation starts, the trainer can pick guided or non-guided modes, adjust which risks appear, choose the exercise type, and select scenarios and elements. In practice, this might mean setting different fire locations, adding or removing obstacles, or changing how much support the learner receives on screen.
During training, the trainer can also act. They can trigger events inside the simulation, restart a scenario if a key step goes wrong, or move quickly from one exercise to another. The result feels less like a fixed script and more like a flexible lesson that follows the group in front of the headset.
Recent additions strengthen that feeling. The wireless CPR simulation, for example, uses hand detection so that compressions are tracked in real time. Learners can align a manikin or another object with the virtual patient and then receive instant feedback on depth and rhythm. Guided mode gives on-screen prompts; unguided mode lets them act without hints and see the consequences of their choices.
Why headsets matter here
In this context, the headset is more than a screen. It is a wearable device with built-in displays, lenses and sensors that track head movement and sometimes hands. In a tethered setup, the headset depends on a powerful PC to render the scene. In Standalone mode, the processor inside the headset runs the Ludus software directly.
That difference changes how and where training happens. A safety team can run a drill in a small meeting room, in a spare corner of a warehouse or at a remote site, as long as they have charged devices and the right simulations installed. The space no longer needs to host a full desktop rig. The headset becomes the mobile classroom.
Benefits felt on the ground
The formal list of advantages is easy to recognise in day-to-day work. With fewer equipment requirements, there are fewer points of failure. Portability means trainers can take sessions to multiple sites in one day. Ease of deployment comes from app-store-style installation and updates, which feel similar to using a smartphone.
Cost savings follow the same line. When sessions no longer require dedicated PCs and extra rooms, budgets can stretch further. Freedom of movement also matters. Without cables underfoot, learners can turn, step and reach more naturally while they practise.
Beyond a single company, public organisations are also watching this space. European workplace-safety bodies now discuss virtual reality as part of a wider move toward digital tools in prevention campaigns and training. Health agencies, including national and international centres for disease control, use headsets to teach correct use of protective equipment and safe work in specialised lab environments. These examples show that the shift to immersive training is not limited to one vendor or one sector; it is part of a broader change in how safety skills are learned and tested.
How organisations can move forward
For organisations that still rely on paper checklists, slide decks or one-off classroom drills, Standalone VR offers a concrete next step. Safety leaders can start by mapping the areas where practice is hard to stage in real life: fires, falls, confined spaces or medical emergencies. From there, they can match those needs to the modules already available in the Ludus catalogue.
The call to action in the official materials is straightforward. A short guide explains the benefits of Standalone mode. Direct contact options invite companies to ask for demonstrations, explore pricing and see how the system fits into existing training plans. Because everything runs on headsets, pilots can remain small at first and then scale up once results are clear.
Conclusions
A quiet shift with practical impact
Ludus Standalone does not change the core idea of safety training. People still need to learn, repeat and internalise good habits. What it changes is the friction. By placing full simulations inside untethered headsets, it removes the cables, towers and rooms that once limited where and how often training could occur.
For many teams, this will mean shorter, more regular sessions held closer to the real work. A forklift operator might practise hazards before a shift. A technician might rehearse emergency steps during a quiet hour. Trainers retain fine control over scenarios and actions, and learners move freely in a safe, virtual space.
The technology sits in service of a simple goal: safer people, better prepared, with tools that fit the rhythm of modern workplaces.
Selected References
[1] Ludus — “Standalone: Ludus introduces a wireless, PC-free mode in its platform.” https://www.ludusglobal.com/en/news/standalone-ludus-wireless-free-mode
[2] Ludus — “Realistic HSE training with VR that makes people care about safety in the workplace.” https://www.ludusglobal.com/en/
[3] Ludus — “New VR simulation from Ludus: wireless CPR training.” https://www.ludusglobal.com/en/news/new-vr-simulation-ludus-wireless-cpr-training
[4] European Agency for Safety and Health at Work — “VR training — Safe and healthy work in the digital age 2023–2025.” https://healthy-workplaces.osha.europa.eu/en/media-centre/news/vr-training
[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — “LabTrainingVR: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Edition” (course overview and public training materials). https://reach.cdc.gov/course/labtrainingvr-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-edition
[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — “LabTrainingVR: Personal Protective Equipment Edition” (public video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikq5-AUDrFQ
Appendix
Headset. A wearable device with built-in screens, lenses and sensors that displays a virtual environment and tracks the user’s movements; in Standalone deployments, it runs the training software on its own.
Ludus. A European virtual reality platform focused on occupational health and safety training, offering simulations for fire response, emergency care and industrial risk scenarios.
Scenario actions. Specific events that trainers can trigger during a simulation, such as starting a fire, changing a tool or restarting an exercise, in order to adapt the drill in real time.
Scenario variables. Adjustable settings that define how a simulation behaves, including risk level, guidance style, environment and the presence or absence of particular hazards or tools.
Standalone mode. A way of running the Ludus platform directly on compatible headsets without a PC or cables, enabling portable, fast-to-deploy training sessions.
Virtual reality safety training. A method of teaching safety skills through immersive computer-generated environments, allowing learners to practise risky tasks repeatedly without exposure to real danger.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 