December 8, 2022 – SimXa provider of medical virtual reality (VR) simulation solutions, recently announced a new $225,000 initiative with the US Air Force (USAF) to explore new areas for the use of advanced medical simulation (MST) training in VR to explore.
The effort aims to renew the use of VR MST in three critical training requirements for the Air Force Special Operations Command Wing (AFSOC): urban and technical search and rescue; evacuation of victims (CASEVAC); and medical care during active combat (Care Under Fire).
The effort, housed in the SimX Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program, aims to increase the accessibility of training for these critical Special Warfare missions. According to SimX, during an initial three-month exploration phase, the company will work with AFSOC subject matter experts from the 24th Special Operations Wing to conduct a detailed feasibility study on the use of VR for critical training needs and create curriculum guidelines to address existing training gaps.
“This effort will allow us to target the training of complex, high-consequence, low-occurrence tactical decisions and skills that will be critical in the future operational environment,” said Col. John R. Dorsch DO, USAF (ret.), Senior Military Advisor at SimX and former Medical Director for USAF Pararescue. “VALOR’s expansion will ensure accelerated learning and expertise development across the full spectrum of operations.”
Potential training needs include high-angle rescue, confined space rescue, break-up and extrication, patient packing and transfer, and casualty movement under fire. The overall goal of the collaboration is to identify key areas for future development of VR-MST. The project aims to explore feasibility for both civilian and military needs, as the company says the three pillars are also applicable to civilian emergency services.
“VR advances in these training areas will enable more efficient and cost-effective simulation for rare but critical events. This training could be particularly impactful for resource-constrained civilian agencies, who could benefit tremendously from access to low-cost VR simulation,” said Karthik V Sarma PhD, Principal Investigator of the VALOR program and SimX’s Chief Technology Officer.
Funding for the collaboration was provided by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) under the AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
For more information on SimX and its medical virtual reality simulation platform, visit the company’s website website.
Photo credit: SimX
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the founder and editor-in-chief of Auganix. With a background in research and reporting, he has been reporting on XR industry news for the past five years.
