U.S. Air Force Awards Contract to Adapt VR Medical Simulation Training

It seeks to train DOD medical personnel in emergency canine care.

Simx Working Dogs
SimX

The Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program at SimX, Inc. has been awarded an R&D contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop a novel VR medical simulation training capability focused on emergency prehospital canine care. This new program seeks to assist in training the DOD's elite medical personnel on the latest canine prehospital care standards.

The program will initially focus on adapting SimX's existing Virtual Reality Medical Simulation System (VRMSS) to include canine-specific components as well as unique medical scenarios outlined by the existing canine emergency curriculum. These will be developed in collaboration with and tested by Pararescuemen, Rescue Officers, and Veterinarians of the USAF 24th Special Operations Wing.

"The vision of the VALOR program is to adapt VR medical simulation training to enable high-quality, repeatable, and accessible clinical training for any scenario," said Karthik V Sarma, PhD, VALOR Principal Investigator and SimX CTO. "We're honored to have the opportunity to adapt the VRMSS to ensure that our nation's veterinarians and emergency medical services personnel are ready to provide canine companions with the highest level of care."

The program's goal is to develop a novel VR training capability that will enable faster, more frequent, and more cost-effective simulation training for canine emergency care, enabling better medical outcomes for injured canines. The developed capabilities will also be made available for commercial use. The planned initial capabilities cover the spectrum of circulatory, respiratory, and field surgical interventions with a planned curriculum including scenarios such as Acute Head Trauma and Gastric Dilatation - Volvulus.

"The mission impact of this project will be increased overall medical capability for canine emergency care. These capabilities are critical for ensuring the highest level of medical care provided by our forces," said Col. John R. Dorsch, DO, USAF (ret.), former USAFPararescue Medical Director and Wing Surgeon of the 24th Special Operations Wing.

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