JUST-IN-TIME VR 

TRAINING FOR AMBUS EMS

Recognition

Smart Cities Connect Conference

U.S. Ignite Application Summit Expo

Collaborators

Dr. Smith, Scott Kenneth |LCSW Director of Virtual Reality and Technology Lab

Dr. Trahan, Mark | LCSW Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Dr. Metsis, Vangelis | Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

Dr. Koutitas, George |Assistant Professor, Ingram School of Engineering

Humphrey, Victoria | Graduate, School of Social Work

Garrard, Benjamin | Undergraduate, Department of Computer Science

Shivesh, Jadon | Undergraduate, Department of Computer Science

​

I contributed to my team members through field design research, (Google Sprint Process), solution ideation, development of product prototype UX, and creation of iconography.

Impact Statement

With only 13 Ambus in Texas. First responders have limited access to training for mass casualty in the Ambulance Bus (Ambus). They only currently have training through a ppt presentation and one hour in the unit every 12 months. 

Goal

Create virtual-reality (VR) curriculum that can be delivered remotely to distributed EMS personnel when they are called to deploy.

Purpose

To create a more efficient Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Personnel that will be able to assist victims during an unexpected mass casualty insidents (MCI).

MEET THE EXPERT

Interviewed Commander Keith Noble from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to discuss current Ambus training. 

FINDINGS

Although they receive training once a year, emergencies happen rarely, the personnel are at risk of not being familiar with the operations of the AmBus system when they are called upon. Moreover, the EMS personnel are often needed very quickly so attending traditional, day long retraining activities is unrealistic. The personnel are often distributed over a sizeable geographic region while the current training is a combination of class-room presentation and hands-on simulations.

HOW MIGHT WE?

Create a VR SOLUTION to improve response times, reduce errors and improve confidence with the intention of making EMS Ambus performance more effective?

​

Help current EMT'S familiarize and feel confident in the Ambus during a MCI deployment?

​

Improve response times?

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Provide an immersive experience where EMS can interact and familiarize with the space inside the Ambus unit using 360 VR technology.

In order to build the 360 interactive experience, Prof Lawrence and I traveled to Austin-Travis County to meet Commander Noble and have access to document one of the 13 Ambus units. 

TRAINING ICON SET

ITEM RECALL 

The icon helps the EMT quickly respond to the items inside the compartments 

​

Icons are divided in three colors in relation to their purpose of use: communication, wounds, and care items. 

​

In the unit personnel will not have the icons to guide them but they will recall from memory when they are deployed. 

UTILITARIAN

Utility icons are only showed in the driver seat, meant for personnel to get familiar to where switches and buttons are in the larger Ambus unit. 

NAVIGATION

The navigation arrows are to go forward or backward in the 360 training setting.  

PERFORMANCE IMPACT

This new training curriculum should reduce decision time, increase situational awareness, reduce operational mistakes, and increase trainee confidence. We propose that this innovative training could be delivered remotely to the distributed EMS personnel before they assemble, as they are assembling or enroute to the mass casualty event. Such an application will better prepare them to be as effective as possible in using the life-saving features of the AmBus

TRAINING ACCESS

MOBILE

In mobile devices, users can download the training app and interact with the interface via gyro or touch controls. 

VR MASK

Users can download the app and choose to open in dual view to control with VR mask via body motion.  

Access to this training is quite economical. Total capital investments results in $20 per trainee or $8 google cardboard, depending on the VR Mask preference.  

March 2018

The team presented on virtual reality applications at the U.S. Ignite Application Summit. Held in conjunction with the Smart Cities Connect Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, the Ignite summit provides a national platform for the sharing of innovative research efforts. Led by Dr. Scott Smith, associate professor in the School of Social Work and director of the Virtual Reality and Technology Lab, we advocated for the use of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality solutions to deliver remote trainings to emergency medical personnel to better prepare them to use the AmBus, a bus-sized ambulance designed for use in catastrophic emergencies.