simulation software

Simulating leadership, from Seb's Open Research blog notes an interview with Clark Aldrich: Simulations and the Learning Revolution.

The future education-oriented uses of simulation software that Aldrich mentions are quite interesting, but what sparked me the most was his description of virtual products, or "web-deployed mock-ups of actual products." The Flash Simulation page contains some relatively simple but telling examples.

Say I'm looking to buy a new digital watch. I browse an online catalog with typical descriptions and pricing, but now with links to manufacturers' sites pages that have a virtual (Flash) version of the watch, so I can actually test the features and, though I can't actually hold the product, evaluate its interface.

Or better yet, say the watch I've purchased has, embedded, a tiny RFID transmitter chip. I bring it close to my computer, which receives RFID signals, and hop onto the manufacturer's site where this virtual product also has an interactive tutorial to walk me through its features. No more reading tiny-printed, pedantic instruction sheets...

Afterthought: are there simulations for heavy machinery? Gaining proficiency on those machines must cost a fortune in fuel.