MedCognition delivers Mixed Reality military medical training modules to US Army

In Mixed Reality News

June 19, 2020 – MedCognition, a Texas-based start-up, has recently announced that it has completed a series of military medical education and training modules for the US Army, which have the potential to be adopted by the US Military for future training, according to the company. The military-relevant trauma training modules use PerSim, MedCognition’s holographic patient creation, to emulate battlefield and mass casualty incident injuries as part of a USD $750,000 development contract initiated in 2019 in collaboration with Chenega Healthcare Services. 

PerSim, an augmented reality medical simulation system, uses Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality devices to project life-like holographic patients into physical environments. PerSim allows participants to view realistic patient simulations for a variety of clinical presentations. The company states that it is used by EMS educators, paramedic field training officers, medical simulation directors, and Emergency Medicine residency program directors to strengthen critical thinking, decision-making, and assessment skills of trainees.

The latest trauma modules deliver tools for Trauma Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) simulation training covering battlefield injuries such as limb amputation, burns, open pneumothorax, and other significant injuries seen in combat.

“We have spent the last 12 months developing training modules that depict potential war-time scenarios to enhance critical decision-making skills for our military. In a frantic and stressful environment such as the battlefield, experiential learning could help prevent medical errors and enhance mental readiness,” commented US Army Combat Veteran Physician and CEO of MedCognition, Dr. Kevin King. “Instead of classrooms or on-screen training modules, these modules empower military educators and trainees to practice caring for critically ill and injured soldiers in the actual environments where they deliver care.” 

In 2019, MedCognition was awarded a phase 1 SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health for HAZMAT simulation training and a contract through the US Air Force’s AFWERX program for developing critical care air transport (CCAT) simulation.

MedCognition states that it intends to leverage its existing training modules into civilian applications in the coming months, and that organizations have been using PerSim for medical telesimulation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on the company and its PerSim training modules, click here.

Video credit: MedCognition / YouTube

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Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.