Use of Mixed Reality in training and education at the Red Cross

In the event of an accident involving multiple people, the Red Cross dispatches specialized emergency response teams who possess not only medical expertise but also strong organizational skills. However, before these teams arrive at the scene, the first arriving Red Cross staff temporarily assume this responsibility. To practice the role of the interim incident commander, large-scale operations are simulated using elaborate exercises. These exercises are very resource-intensive in terms of planning and preparation.

The objective was therefore to develop a VR application that allows participants to practice these scenarios virtually.

A VR application for the HTC Vive was implemented, enabling Red Cross staff to practice incident command in a safe environment. To determine whether VR is a suitable platform for Red Cross training scenarios, the application needed to closely resemble real-world scenarios. Users must identify potential hazards and quickly assess which patients are critical and require the most urgent assistance. Just like in real-life training, trainees can interact with patients and must categorize them using the patient information folder (see image on the right). Visual and auditory cues are used to help assess the patient's condition. When interacting with a virtual patient, a sound file plays that provides further information about the patient's health, e.g., "I'm fine, please help my father" or "My leg hurts so much. Please help me."

A key aspect of this training is communication with the emergency dispatch center: Participants must continuously communicate the number of people affected and injured and request additional emergency personnel or warn them of potential hazards. The training simulation is therefore designed for use by two people. A Red Cross employee, already familiar with the simulation, takes on the role of the emergency dispatch center. They are also responsible for starting the application and assisting trainees with any questions about the simulation or the VR headset. During training, the virtual environment is displayed on a monitor to make it easier for trainees to understand what they are experiencing.

To support trainees in using VR, a tutorial was created that explains the operation and tasks within the virtual environment. All trainees must complete this tutorial before the actual scenario training.

A debriefing session is an integral part of the VR training. This debriefing is crucial for the learning effect, as discussing the experiences and receiving feedback helps participants retain important aspects of the training.

Here you can find a video about the project implementation.

The overall project, "Mixed Reality Based Collaboration 4 Industry," resulted from the collaboration of 22 companies and five scientific institutions from Lower Austria, Vienna, and Upper Austria (St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences Steyr Campus, FOTEC, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, and Vienna University of Technology).