The (virtual) realities of war: Lifelike battlefield simulation teaches medics how to treat wounded soldiers 'under fire'
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It's not only soldiers who need to train for life-threatening situations on the battlefield.
Experts have created a learning tool for army medics so they, too, can practice treating the wounded before putting themselves in the line of fire.
A 360-degree virtual training programme has been created using the Oculus Rift headset to prepare the medical teams for the realities of war.
Warning: Graphic content below
Using an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, medics-to-be can be plunged into chaotic life on the battlefield. This is a view of the scene from the 'controller's' point-of-view but medics could get close-ups of wounds in future as well as learn how to look out for enemy fire
VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET ALLOWS TERMINALLY ILL GRANDMOTHER TO EXPERIENCE OUTDOORS
A terminally ill grandmother with cancer is using an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to experience life outside a virtual Italian villa, from her armchair in Seattle.
The idea to use virtual reality to give Roberta Firstenberg an outdoor experience without leaving her home came from her granddaughter, Priscilla, who works as an artist designing video games.
She emailed Oculus about her idea and they sent her a headset, for free, for Roberta to use.
Before long, Roberta was walking through a virtual Tuscan villa, trying to catch butterflies and admiring the sunshine.
'Her favorite part was just being able to walk up and down the stairs again of the villa in the Tuscany demo,' said Priscilla.
'I guess we take a lot of things for granted.'
The technology uses 'head tracking' to enable the user to look around the virtual world they have entered, just as they can in real life.
Essex-based developers Plextek Consulting and Bespoke VR created the virtual simulation using the Facebook-owned technology, so trainee medics can assist injured soldiers in life-like battle scenarios.
The simulation emulates pre-hospital care on the battlefield and allows trainees to negotiate and prioritise clinical needs.
This is designed to teach teamwork and decision-making skills within high-stress 'under-fire' scenarios, a spokesman explained.
The prototype, which was funded by the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), has been 'well received' and virtual reality training could become common practice in few years.
A 360-degree virtual reality training programme for medics working on the battlefield has been created using Oculus Rift (pictured), which is a headset originally developed for gamers that covers the eyes with two screens presenting a 3D view that looks as though users have entered the world they are playing in
The technology uses 'head tracking' to enable the user to look around the virtual world they have entered, just as they can in real life. Medics could face frightening scenes of gruesome injuries (pictured) in their training one day
The simulation technology also has the potential to be applied to other scenarios, such as people training to help with natural disasters or medical training for paramedics.
'Our work with DSTL is enabling us to revolutionise the way medical treatment can be applied in the battlefield, while creating a multitude of opportunities for advanced health training applications across a breadth of industries,' said Collette Johnson, medical business manager at Plextek Consulting.
'The innovative technology used in immersive reality solutions enables such a real-life perception that the education and response level of the trainee can be greatly heightened.
'Any negative psychological effects could also be improved, by preparing the trainees better with a more accurate vision of what they could experience during military conflict.'
The simulation emulates pre-hospital care on the battlefield (pictured) and allows trainees to negotiate and prioritise clinical needs, teaching teamwork and decision-making skills within high-stress 'under-fire' scenarios, a spokesman explained
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