A UCF team has developed a wound simulation that merges the physical and virtual worlds to enhance trauma treatment training. It combines a hands-on, tactile experience with a dynamic digital “wound.” The “patient” (simulation mannequin or human participant) is physically present in front of the learner, who wears a head-mounted augmented reality system that overlays a virtual wound onto the patient’s physical “wound”—creating a “smart moulage.”
The AR system fills in the details of the scenario. “If you bend it, for example, the smart moulage know[s] it’s flexing and the digital imagery will match what you’re feeling,” says researcher Gregory Welch. Learners may even feel a pulse and liquid “blood” from a reservoir inside the wound. When the learner applies pressure to stop the bleeding, they see the results in the patient’s improved vital signs.
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