A Mixed Reality system for the simulation of emergency and first-aid scenarios

Simulation is a powerful learning tool, as it allows gaining direct experience in a controlled and repeatable way. However, the simulation is effective when it is able to reproduce the real conditions and when the user feels him/herself immersed and present in the situation. With the aim of improving these critical points, we propose an immersive virtual reality system for first-aid handling. Specifically, we increase the visual realism of medical mannequins and the contextualization, and we add the touch feedback by mapping the real mannequin into its virtual representation. Moreover, the interaction is performed by using a virtual representation of the users own hands by allowing a more realistic execution of tasks. The results show a good accuracy in the mapping between the real and the virtual mannequin, and a high degree of presence for both the control group and the medical one. These results and the low values of simulator sickness reported during the experiment are a good starting point for the use of the proposed mixed reality system in simulation scenarios.