E.C.H.O. (Enhanced Cognitive Human Ops)
Open the game- Brand
- U.S. Air Force
- Year
- 2021
- Objective
- Lead Gen & Recruiting
- Industry
- Other
- Mechanic
- Mini-Games
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Active Theory
- With
- Plan8
- With
- GSD&M
- Published
- 1
The player lands on the E.C.H.O. page, which promises to measure focus, reaction time, and accuracy across three games, with a Play button and optional Sign In / Register to save progress, appear on a leaderboard, or challenge a friend.
- 2
Tapping Play loads the game directly in the browser, with no install required, on desktop, mobile, or VR headset.
- 3
A holographic Air Force airman greets the player, explains the premise, and guides them through three missions, narrating along the way.
- 4
Mission 1, Track and React, has the player catch glowing spheres flying toward them to measure reaction speed and reflexes; in VR, light and dark spheres must be caught with the matching-colored hand. A number-tracing task between levels tests precision and fine motor control, and catching difficulty escalates afterward.
- 5
Mission 2, Detect and Intersect, presents several simultaneous cyberattacks and asks the player to decide what to intercept first, testing prioritization and performance under pressure rather than click speed.
- 6
Mission 3, Hide and Seek, has the player locate and check the source of a sound, testing auditory attention; the VR version uses 360-degree audio headphones.
- 7
After the three missions, the player receives a cognitive score broken down by the skills measured, along with suggested Air Force career paths and tips for developing the skills those paths require.
- 8
The player can replay indefinitely to raise their score, compare results on the leaderboard if registered, challenge a friend, or move on to learn about careers or contact a recruiter on the Air Force site.
- 9
An offline version tours air shows and school visits on a 52-foot trailer with ten stations: a VR headset, a haptic vest that delivers physical feedback during play, 360-degree audio headphones, and an external station where visitors compete against each other in the same cognitive games.
Objective
With pandemic shutdowns cancelling air shows and mobile recruiting tours, the Air Force needed a way to reach candidates online — and to make the case that modern service rewards analytical minds as much as physical fitness. The goal was to attract STEM-minded problem-solvers aged 17–24 by framing the Air Force as the most tech-forward branch, while giving recruiters a shareable tool that opens a real conversation about career paths.
Solution
At airforceecho.com, a hologram of an actual airman greets the player and guides them through three escalating challenges. In Track and React, players catch flying spheres as fast as they can to test raw reaction speed. In Detect and Intersect, multiple simulated cyberattacks come in at once and the player has to prioritize and neutralize them against the clock. In Hide and Seek, they listen for directional audio cues to locate a hidden threat, testing situational awareness. At the end, the player gets a cognitive score across six skills, a recommended Air Force career path, and tips for improving weak areas — they can log in to save their progress, climb a leaderboard, replay to beat their score, or challenge a friend. The same experience also runs in VR, set up as a ten-station booth with headsets, haptic vests, and 360-degree audio at air shows and school visits.
Results
Sources
68,803 players took part in E.C.H.O.'s first month online, with an average session length of 7 minutes 26 seconds.
