Humanoid robot soldiers that come alive in virtual reality (VR) are set to be used to train British Army paratroopers for combat. Troops at 16 Air Assault Brigade will be put through their paces at a special VR training experience at their facilities in Colchester, Essex. The'humanoid robotic targets', called SimStrikers, fire BB gun-style pellets at the troops whilst shouting in foreign languages. In real life, the humanoids look like mannequins, but in virtual reality they appear as avatars of enemy fighters. The'humanoid robotic targets', called SimStrikers, are armed with BB gun-style pellets that they fire at the troops whilst shouting in foreign languages.