The Need

Physical protection remains a major driver of nuclear plant operations and maintenance costs, yet current security risk models rely on conservative assumptions and sparse empirical data on how defenders and operators actually behave under extreme threat. They rarely capture errors of commission, key performance‑shaping factors (PSFs), or actions taken after perimeter penetration, leading to overstated risk and potential over‑staffing. The industry needs defensible, human‑in‑the‑loop evidence to calibrate models and optimize security postures without compromising safety.

The Technology

OSU engineers have developed a high‑fidelity, scenario‑driven virtual reality (VR) environment that marries validated physics‑based effects with human‑in‑the‑loop trials to observe decisions and actions during simulated attacks and responses. It collects structured behavioral and biometric indicators and maps them into established human‑reliability assessment frameworks to quantify PSFs and error modes under stress. The resulting datasets directly inform updates to security risk models, enabling credible what‑if analysis and staffing optimization while remaining non‑intrusive to plant operations.

Commercial Applications

• Utility security & training: Force‑on‑force rehearsal, readiness assessment, and post‑exercise analytics for nuclear power plants.
• Risk & staffing optimization: Data‑driven updates to PRA/HRA inputs for security cost reduction while maintaining safety margins.
• Security technology providers: Validation datasets and testbeds for next‑gen decision‑support tools.

Benefits/Advantages

• Quantifies PSFs and errors of commission rarely captured today.
• Integrates with established security and PRA/HRA workflows, improving fidelity beyond perimeter‑only models and conservative defaults.
• Safer, repeatable, and cost‑effective compared with frequent in‑situ drills; supports training without disrupting operations.
• Scenario scalability and realism via physics‑based effects and site‑accurate models to test defense‑in‑depth actions inside the plant.