Advanced Haptics Development to Support Medical Simulated Training Environments

The research proposed in this Sequential Phase II effort will seek to achieve several technical objectives that will further advance the technology readiness level (TRL) from its current 4-6 level to a 7 or higher level. These objectives will primarily focus on directly building upon the capabilities developed and demonstrated in the original Phase II effort, pursuing some of the technical objectives and commercialization plans from the original proposal that are not yet fully achieved or implemented, while also incorporating feedback and findings from the data collected from the usability tests and training effectiveness evaluations that were conducted. The primary technical objective will be to extend the capabilities of the teleteaching procedure-based skills trainer. The existing Phase II work developed a single scenario focused on the escharotomy burn care procedure, supporting both individual mode for learners to practice the procedure, as well as networked multiplayer mode allowing an instructor/observer to provide tele-mentoring and teleteaching interventions to the learner in real time. Within this Sequential Phase II effort, we would improve the features that support the instructor / learner interactions, including integrated instructor tools, learner management dashboards, and more detailed automated performance assessments. Further, this effort would modularize the scenarios into a library of content packs that can be browsed and loaded at the point of need by the learner or the instructor. The secondary technical objective will be to expand the capabilities of the point-of-injury multiplayer skills scenario. The existing Phase II work developed a single scenario focused on training for triage and treatment of a hemorrhage and burn while under simulated care under fire (CUF) conditions. This implementation is currently single player but was intentionally designed to be expanded to multiplayer so that multiple roles could cooperatively complete the tasks, assessments, and interventions. Within this Sequential Phase II effort, we would expand the breadth and depth of this capability into a true synchronous multiplayer virtual exercise, that mirrors the type of training seen in Medical Simulation Training Centers (MSTCs). This completed system and accompanying scenario(s) would constitute a compelling turn-key solution for augmenting and complimenting the live and simulated lane training conducted at MSTCs, improving commercialization prospects.