Military conflict in the modern era will likely span large geographical areas, requiring a wide variety of transport platforms for casualty evacuation (CASEVAC). With large-scale patient movements of various injury patterns likely, no guarantee of persistent air superiority, and limited ability to meet the "golden hour," the need for exposure to the various platforms in which healthcare will have to be delivered is paramount. Current training models in CASEVAC are logistically complex, often requiring learners to travel to locations where platforms for training exercises are available (the alternative being the use of vehicles in active service, which diminishes warfighting capabilities). Digital transformation of this training to a virtual reality (VR) environment allows for geographically dispersed training in high-fidelity settings capable of rapidly simulating a multitude of these platforms in quick succession. In pursuit of this goal, the VALOR research group has developed a curriculum to teach these crucial skills within replicated immersive environments. Covering air, land, and seafaring platforms, this technology allows for high-fidelity training of geographically separated personnel in areas that may not be amenable to traditional simulation training while minimizing materials, travel, and personnel costs and eliminating the need to take real-world platforms out of active service.
@inproceedings{poppe2024casevac,
author = {Poppe, M. and Dorsch, J. R. and Barrie, M. G. and Patel, N. and Weiss, T. L. and Tiyasirichokchai, J. and Polson, J. S. and Ribeira, R. J. and Sarma, K. V.},
title = {Virtual Reality Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) Trainer: A Digital Transformation that Expands Training Opportunities to Manage Casualties Aboard Various Military Platforms},
booktitle = {NATO Modelling and Simulation Group Symposium},
year = {2024},
}