VIRTUAL HEROES

Technology already has pushed medical and emergency responder training well beyond the days of mock wounds and static mannequins. New software designed for Army medical training allows personnel to see in real-time the effect of their treatments on the bodies of virtual patients and high-tech mannequins.

Combat Medic, developed for Army Research Labs project manager Matthew Hackett by the Virtual Heroes Division of Applied Research Associates, places trainees in a 3-D collaborative world where they learn to treat the three injuries most associated with preventable battlefield deaths — hemorrhage, blocked airways and collapsed lungs.

Now, a new ARA software program funded in part by the Army intends to significantly advance that training via a downloadable “physiology engine” that allows medical personnel see how their actions affect every other aspect of their patient’s physiology.

And not only in a virtual world, but with high-tech mannequins, according to Jenn Carter, senior scientist and project manager for new program, called BioGears. Read more.

by BRYANT JORDAN | Military.com