Forensic Science in Virtual Reality

           (Ashlyn Weisgerber, Shannon Mcnulty, Abdul Ogembe, James Hartner)

Introduction

Become your inner Sherlock Holmes today!

Our product is a forensic science virtual reality app. This app will give the users a sense of what a crime scene is like and they’ll be able to practice what to do at a crime scene. This app will help those who would like to pursue a career in forensic science. They will be able to get the practice needed to know the basics of crime scene investigation and get the some experience. Jobs in this field like and look for those who have experience in this job. Having this slight experience of a virtual reality app will help people get a job in this field. Professors who teach this subject in college could really use this for their students. Right now, the courts are trying to get virtual reality in there to use for the jurors and for everyone else in the courtroom as well. They will be able to see the crime scene and get a visual of the crime while it was happening to get a sense of the case. There is also a college that has started talking about making an app for forensic science classes.

Learning Outcomes

The objectives for this simulation academically would be to improve one’s skills in the area of forensic science as they continue to learn the skills needed for the job. It would provide instructors the ability to show their students a real life simulation in an environment where there is room for mistakes. This simulation would significantly increase the necessary skills needed for properly assessing crime scenes and allow students to come into the field very prepared and ready for real life experience. This specifically applies to crime scenes and the skills when trying to discover clues and investigate a scene.

The application relates to education as it should be used within schools, specifically colleges, with students in the major of forensic science or criminal justice. It should be used after students have the requisite courses, necessary skills and are pursuing higher level courses that relate previously learned skills into real life experience. This simulation can either be used for practice or professors may choose to use this simulation as an assessment. If used for an assessment, at the end of the simulation a score will be present explaining how well you did in the simulation which would allow professors to grade their students on how well they have applied their skills in the field to a real life experience. However, in this type of situation mistakes are acceptable as it is just a simulation, this allows students less stress as they will be able to get the full experience while they are still learning.

User Experience/ User Interface

The materials/ technologies that we will use is the HTC Vive, which is a virtual reality headset. Virtual Reality crept back up into the public in 2012 after being dormant for so long. Over the course of the next five years, Valve and HTC were joining forces to create the ultimate product. Beginning in 2012, Valve set its mission to create prototype. Valves prototype created a, “low-persistence display was a must. In this case, that meant lighting up a panel for one millisecond and then turning it off for nine milliseconds, in order to prevent ghosting (Souppouris).” In 2013, HTC created a periscope-like Re Camera, which is a mobile camera that does not need a smartphone to use.  Soon, The HTC Vive was born.

The HTC Vive has a life like accuracy while in the virtual world is built down to a science. How this thing works is with a few main components like the grid, the angle, the boundaries, the controllers, and the ‘lighthouse.’ The Grid is what the user’s range is, which has a maximum of fifteen feet. The user must stay in this area while playing the HTC Vive at all times to ensure safety and playability.  The Angle tracks the user and their motions while wearing the headset. The stations that track every move have to be above the user’s height to effectively work. The stations also need to be faced down at a 30 to 45 degree angle. The boundaries can be in a shape not necessarily to a square as the system can work in any kind of oddly shaped room to your desire. The controllers will be able to communicate with the lighthouse boxes, as the lighthouse boxes uses non-visible light to find the objects rather than using a camera. The HTC Vive also has a ‘sweep’ mechanism which will basically ‘sweep’ the area to detect any other people other than the user on the headset. This will help the safety of playing a game on this. Last, the HTC Vive features a ‘chaperone’ system that will help you or any other user not bump into anything while wearing the headset (Peppiat).

                                               Implementation Strategy

When it comes to selling this product, we feel that this simulation will be very successful as there is limited access to crime scene and forensic science virtual reality simulations. We plan on advertising primarily to colleges and institutions who are training their students for careers in crime scene investigations. Since our target audience is colleges and institutions we plan to have our simulation on the HTC vive as it allows precise measurements and a more interactive experience than an app using google cardboard. Therefore, colleges have the money to afford the HTC Vive and would be purchase both the equipment and our simulation. It could potentially be a huge selling point for an institutions forensic science program as it allows students hands on experience before they enter their chosen career field.

There are currently no virtual reality simulations on the market right now but there is various proposed simulations on the internet. Many of the simulations that are proposed are primarily for reviewing or reliving crime scenes in a courtroom during a trial, which is very different from our approach (Hamzelou). A similar virtual reality simulation we found during our research was one proposed by the nonprofit National Forensic Science Technology Center who partnered with University of Tennessee to create a simulation to train state and local law enforcement officers in crime scene training for those entering the field or anyone who may wish to refresh their skills (Kanable). This is very similar to our simulation, except our simulation is looking to seek out a different audience as we are trying to persuade colleges and institutions to purchase our product rather than training facilities. When researching, we found this program was for those already working for a law enforcement program or those looking to complete a simple training program. Our simulation is for those who already have learned the needed skills and have taken prerequisite courses and need hands on experience before entering the field.

As technology rapidly increases, more people are relying on it. As students move into college they are introduced to new technology that incorporates learning, therefore this simulation will fit into the curriculum and style of learning that students are already using. Technology has come a long way over the years and now students have hands on ways of learning through technology and this simulation is a perfect simulation for forensic science students to use.

We plan to reach our customers, who are primarily institutions and colleges, by going around to those schools that offer forensic science as a major and advertising our product to their deans. We feel this will be the most effective method as we can provide an in depth presentation as well as a trailer of our simulation which will grab their attention. We also will send out pamphlets to schools who could potentially be interested, therefore those schools who offer a forensic science major to their students. We feel that these techniques will be very effective and will grasp the attention of our audience best. We do not feel that we will have a problem selling this product as it is a very important simulation needed for learning before entering the career field.

Long-Term Vision

Most people who go into forensic science start out in crime scene investigation. So, for those who are going into forensic science, the demo is going to be focused on main parts of crime scene investigation that most people will have to know. This includes gathering evidence, photography and measurements. You’ll show up to the crime scene and find all the evidence, take measurements when needed and then photograph the crime scene and all the evidence separately. This will show the basics of forensic crime scene investigation in which people will be prepared for what the job entails. The next phase of development will start introducing different disciplines of forensic science. These disciplines include chemistry and biology to start. These will be more interactive and more school oriented. In 5 years we hope to have more disciplines; blood spatter, toxicology, documentation, etc. This will be more for people to try out different disciplines to practice and see what they like if they want to venture off into something else.

Conclusion

Using this application will give college students and trainees in the field a better understanding of how crime scenes can develop and make them better prepared when they encounter a real one. Crime scenes are in a way a work of brutal art that only people with keen eye can decipher the hidden message in it. Our app will make it easier for students to put themselves in the crime scene and be able to see all the hidden clues inside them. Without any virtual reality simulations like this aimed at college students, this could be the app that could open the floodgates to a very profitable market.  Of course, our idea is slightly limited because we want to have the best available one in the quickest time. Having fewer disciplines to start should let us do more with each discipline. We feel that expanding in the future would be better than having everything on release. Our product can help cultivate the next generation of great forensic scientists.

PREZIhttps://prezi.com/21afqtse1nww/edit/#65_45341393

 

Works Cited

Bixby, Jill. “Virtopsy–A New Innovation for Forensic Science.” On the Edge, vol. 16, no. 3, Fall2010, p. 1. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=55202498&site=eds-live&scope=site.

 

“Forensic Sciences.” National Institute of Justice, www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/Pages/welcome.aspx.

 

Hamzelou, Jessica. “Virtual Reality Puts Jury in Crime Scene.” New Scientist, vol. 225, no. 3003, 10 Jan. 2015, p. 1. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=100371321&site=eds-live&scope=site.

 

Kanable, Rebecca. “Virtual Reality: A Reality for Crime Scene Training.” Law Enforcement Technology, vol. 39, no. 11, Nov. 2012, p. 8. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=83823132&site=eds-live&scope=site


Ma, Minhua, et al. “Virtual Reality and 3D Animation in Forensic Visualization.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 55, no. 5, Sept. 2010, pp. 1227-1231. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01453.x.

 

Peppiatt, Dom. “Here’s EXACTLY How The HTC Vive Works.” SciFiNow, 1 Jan. 2015, www.gadgetdaily.xyz/heres-exactly-how-the-htc-vive-works/.

 

Souppouris, Aaron. “How HTC and Valve Built the Vive.” Engadget, 14 July 2016, www.engadget.com/2016/03/18/htc-vive-an-oral-history/.

 

“Virtual Reality: A Reality for Crime Scene Training.” Officer, www.officer.com/command-hq/technology/computers-software/article/10812441/virtual-reality-a-reality-for-crime-scene-training.

 

Life Saving VR

Kelsey Wolfsheimer, Alaina Savarese, Lauren Dawkins, & Kail-La Smith

Intro/Purpose: Kelsey

Our product is a simulation, virtual reality training for first responders including both EMTs and Firefighters. It is an interactive experience where virtual reality systems such as Vive or Oculus, would be used as the trainees go through a variety of interactive high pressure simulations where they are doing what they would do in real life through the gaming system. Our training would include all the basics of first responder training, which consists of 7 modules for EMTs and the necessary training for the firefighters along with the basic EMT training as well.

Trainees need this product because it is a hands-on, real-life simulation training that is cost-efficient and doesn’t put lives in danger. According to two articles, 70% of all firefighters are volunteers (“U.S. fire department profile” Haynes), while “EMS volunteers answer close to half of the nation’s 911 calls – possibly up to 90% in the most rural states” (“Why volunteers are critical to the future of EMS.” Magee). This training would make it easier for the volunteers to get proper training since a large amount of the volunteers most likely don’t have a ton of money to dish out. This product will also give the instructors a better understanding of the trainee, by determining if they can handle real life situations without cracking under pressure. Some people are good test takers but fail in the real world, while others succeed in real life situations, but are bad test takers. This product would allow the instructors to see how efficient the trainees are at each of the tasks that are necessary rather than just solely remembering terms from the lecture.

In order to create the most efficient training simulation, we need to ensure that we cover every part that is vital to training. The EMT training involves seven different training modules. The first is the preparatory module. This includes the introduction to Emergency Medical Care, the well-being of the EMT Basic, medical/legal and ethical issues, the human body, baseline vitals, SAMPLE history, and the lifting and moving of patients. The second module is known as the airway module. It includes mouth-to-mask with supplemental oxygen, airway maintenance (Oral, Nasal and Suctioning), and oxygen administration. The next module is known as the trauma assessment and documentation module and includes scene size-up, initial assessment, focused history and physical exams on trauma patients, focused history and physical exam on medical patients, detailed physician exam, on-going assessment, communications and documentation. The next module is known as the medical assessment module and includes general Pharmacology, respiratory emergencies, cardiovascular emergencies, diabetes/altered mental status, allergies, poisoning/overdose, environmental emergencies, behavioral emergencies and Obstetrics/Gynecology. The next module, known as trauma emergencies, covers bleeding and shock, soft tissue injuries, musculoskeletal care and injuries to the head and spine. The next one is dedicated to pediatric and geriatric emergencies, including infants and children as well as geriatric patients. The last module is known as operations. This section covers ambulance operations, gaining access and overviews. There is also an option of an eighth module called advanced airways, that our training will not cover (“EMT Training” EMTResources.com).

The firefighter training will cover all of the basic EMT training, listed above, as well as the necessary training that is required for firefighters. Each station requires a different amount of training and different training subjects, but the majority follows the same basic training objectives. Their training includes learning how to deal with building fires, how to prevent and fight fires, how to treat people injured in a fire, and how to use fire equipment such as ladders, hoses, axes, fire extinguishers and chain saws. They also have to learn how to manage hazardous materials, inspect smoke detectors, how to conduct search and rescue procedures as well as learn about fire science and local building codes. The last part of their basic training is learning how to react to challenging situations like fires in subways, high-rises, cars or crawl spaces (“Fireman Training Programs and Requirements.” Study.com).

We are directing our project towards two different audiences. Our primary audience is instructors for first responder training and training centers. If training centers had this technology then more people would want to go to these centers since it could potentially save lives, be cost efficient, and provide better lessons so trainees can get a better understanding of what they are learning. It would benefit instructors as well because they would run the simulations along with giving short lectures while cutting down the amount of time that they have to teach lectures.This simulation would also help put a good rep on the specific training center and the instructors that use it. Their trainees would be more prepared in real life situations and not panic once they are in the workforce compared to the trainees who didn’t have simulation training. The secondary audience is for people who are looking to become EMTs and Firefighters. They want to be able to find the best training center where their life isn’t at such a high risk and want to make sure they learn as much as they possibly can. With so many people being kinesthetic and visual learners, this simulation would be sure to help them retain the knowledge they learn, resulting in more efficient and confident first responders. This would also help the volunteers who are looking for a good but cost efficient training program and with this technology the amount of money needed for training would be cut down significantly.

Learning Outcomes: Kail-La

Our simulation will provide both physical and intellectual development for the users resulting with educational, technical, and employability outcome. The application will provide the necessary basic knowledge for all first responders and firefighters and training. In addition, our application will also provide technical knowledge on specific fire preventions, behaviors, and protection techniques for firefighters. Also, it will provide specific technical use of equipment, tasks as well as skills for both an EMT and/or firefighter. Our application allows one to pick up the necessary skills that employers want you have, specific achievements, understandings, and the personal thrive that makes an individual more likely to gain employment, and success as an EMT and/or firefighter. Our application is made to specifically educate a person in order to become successful in the future. The outcomes will be assessed through quizzes after each section and required hands-on performance that the user must demonstrate individually or in pairs. At the end of the application, there will be a combination of all the sections and hands-on activities for both, essential EMT’s and firefighters.

 

User Experience/User Interface: Alaina

There are similar programs to ours that exist like the 360 Immersive and SimX. The 360 Immersive application is for your phone and it is only a simulation that the viewer would observe with no interaction (360 Immersive). They also do not focus solely on first responder training. The SimX program is a simulation with a little more hands-on activity (SimX). These programs both lack a fully immersive world with high involvement in their experience. This can be done with our application using the HTC Vive. It is very important that the user has access to the visor, the two controllers, and the motion sensors to get the full experience.

We want to have immersive basic training sessions for first responders that would include CPR training, checking blood pressure and vitals, and placing patients on a spinal board. We also believe that it is important for trainees to have situational training like extracting a patient from a car wreck, rescuing a person from a burning building, or operating emergency equipment.

This is how we imagine our program to operate: Each student will have their own unique avatar similar to that in Ernest Cline’s book, Ready Player One. The student alone or working in partners will put on the VR gear in range of the motion sensors located in the classroom and their instructor will choose which learning experience they are going to do. The student(s) will be fully immersed in that situation whether they are just receiving a dispatch call or learning how to set a broken bone. The instructor will be able to monitor their actions by watching her computer screen which will display what the scenario her students have been placed. This will allow her to be able to assist the students and provide feedback. We want our program to assist in the training of firefighters and EMT’s and be as realistic as possible with real-world experiences.

 

Implementation Strategy: Kail-La

Our goal isn’t to create an application that’s too expensive. However, cost for the use of the simulation will range between $60 to $100 dollars. Sixty dollars, being the lowest for basic review of basic hands-on activities and one hundred dollars, being the potential highest for use of the entire application. Solution to the price being too high is a better price deal, if the company, group, etc. buys the application once, specifically for use of a large group of people. Technological constraints consists of companies not as equipped or advanced enough for the use of the application. Also, buildings where the application will be used may need to be more advanced and adequate to the size and space needed. However, upgrading one’s company towards a more futuristic setting could be a solution. In order to reach out to our customers, we will advertise and promote our application as much as we can through advertisements.

Long-term Vision: Kelsey

To keep our prototype focused and manageable we have to limit it in several ways. The first way we are limiting our prototype is by doing a hands on, interactive simulation that teaches skills based that are necessary for basic EMT and Firefighter training. This simulation will exclude lessons and will just test the actual skills that are necessary for passing the training. Our prototype won’t completely eliminate lectures or actual class time, but will cut down the time and enhance the lessons by performing what you learned in a real-life situation, but without endangering anyone’s life. We are also going to limit this to interactive experiences only. This means it will have to run on a system like Vive or Oculus and there won’t be any interactive lessons for phones, with the cardboard boxes, where you could use the movement of your head to answer questions or look around, etc. We want this to be like a high pressure, real-life situation where you need to actually act and deal with the situation like you would do in real life.

The next stage of development involves a variety of steps. The first step would be to determine how each training objective would be shown and covered throughout the simulation. Once is it completed we would need to figure out how it would be tested in the actual simulation training and how to depict the variety of situations that are needed to cover each objective. There has to be a variety of situations in which the trainee will be placed during the simulation because not everything in the real world is the same situation, so the different training experiences need to have some sort of variety. We also have to determine how to make the training interactive. Will there be “what would you do?” type quizzes where the situation plays out solely based on what answer they chose, along with the interactive parts where they have to use their own hands and feet? Or should it be only interaction based? Once these developmental factors are determined, we then need to test the simulation trainings throughout the country to make sure it is user friendly, works well, and make sure that there are no problems with how the simulation runs.

We have a lot that we would want to accomplish in our five year plan. The first would be getting the program tested, approved and then out to training centers for the simulation training to begin. Once the interactive simulation training is working well, we would eventually make a cheaper program for trainees to use to help study for the actual simulation and for real-life tests. This program would be able to be used on a phone and in a cardboard box. It can also be more a “what would you do” type of quiz in the simulation where the answer the trainee gives is what determines what happens next. This would also be more practice for firefighters and EMTs. We would also like to include a more in depth training for Intermediate EMTs and Paramedics, since the Basic EMT training doesn’t cover what they need to know.

 

 

References

360immersive.com. (2017). 360immersive – – VR Training – Virtual Reality. [online] Available at: https://360immersive.com/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Cline, E. (2011). Ready player one. New York: Crown.

EMS1. (2017). Why volunteers are critical to the future of EMS. [online] Available at: http://www.ems1.com/community-awareness/articles/2169080-Why-volunteers-are-critical-to-the-future-of-EMS/. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Emt-resources.com. (2017). EMT Resources – for New and Experienced EMTs. [online] Available at: http://www.emt-resources.com/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Nfpa.org. (2017). NFPA report – U.S. fire department profile. [online] Available at: http://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Fire-statistics/The-fire-service/Administration/US-fire-department-profile. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Simxar.com. (2017). SimX | Virtual and Augmented Reality Medical Training Software. [online] Available at: https://www.simxar.com/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Study.com. (2017). Fireman Training Programs and Requirements. [online] Available at: https://study.com/fireman_training.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

Storyboard:

 

Presentation:

https://app.peardeck.com/editor/1SeYDEOu1kPdhcTiw5mX_BdpPrgiupB9N/slides/explanation/0.4232298832630337

VR Experience for Preoperative Children

Danielle Commodari

Chris Fenzel

Jackie Ndayizeye

Laura Rentz

 

Proposal:

Intro/Purpose

Our idea is to create a virtual reality experience that involves the medical field.  Our objective is to make it easier for children to understand what is going to happen to them, before going into surgery.  Families and children will benefit from this product because it will allow the children to be less anxious and scared prior to their procedure.  The children will have a better understanding of the procedures that will be performed by the medical staff. In addition, the product will incorporate games, videos, and authentic pictures that will display through a virtual reality headset that will be able to help the medical team explain to children the entire process. For example, a study done by Phoenix Children’s Hospital showed that children who are more aware of what is going to happen, will have less anxiety and experience less pain, especially during the recovery process (“Effects of Virtual Reality on Preoperative Anxiety and Education of Anesthesia in Children and Adolescents”).  This can be beneficial for children who are undergoing surgery. Therefore, this product should be considered by children’s hospitals and other pediatric offices that perform operations on young children.

The primary audience for this product is children’s hospitals because they can receive the greatest benefit from this type of resource.  Having this type of virtual reality could greatly benefit children and lower their anxiety levels before surgery.  In addition, larger organizations such as hospitals, clinics, and emergency rooms will be able to afford this tool and use it in multiple circumstances. A secondary audience would be doctors’ offices that perform minor surgeries. Overall, the product would greatly benefit the medical field by improving the process of explaining medical procedures to anxious kids before surgery.  

 

Learning Outcomes

Virtual Reality has been proven to result in positive emotions.  Dr. Jason M. Harley, from the Association for Education Communications and Technology, performed a test to discover the emotional effects of Virtual Reality, and the results were positive.  In the independent group, he took 31 undergraduate students from a large university and had them learn historical lessons through virtual reality.  He states in his report that “31 out of 31 undergraduate students gave positive feedback and gave only positive emotions, optimistic was the main emotion” (Harley). The students were given a history lesson and taught the same lesson in two ways, through augmented reality (computer, phone, and digital simulations) and Virtual Reality.  The students then gave their feedback on which type of lesson they preferred to be taught, and they were asked why.  The study demonstrated that virtual reality helped to alleviate the stress of college students generating positive feedback from them.

In addition to Virtual Reality being proven that it results in positive emotions, it can also increase surgical efficiency allowing children to become more comfortable with the procedure. The application will allow surgeons to make sure that the surgery is effective without any complications.  Moreover, we are sure that the simulation will work and bring positive outcomes because of similar tests that were done to test the effects of surgical efficiency.  At the Imperial College of London, Dr. Laura Beyer-Berjot had both novice surgeons and experienced surgeons do a laparoscopic appendectomy in virtual reality.  The goal was to test the accuracy of virtual reality in an operating room to use for beginning surgeons for training.  The surgeons were divided between novice and experienced and were tested on the amount of time it took to remove the appendix. Between them, the surgeons had a P score (performance score) of .026 and took the novice surgeons 282 seconds and the experience surgeons 259 seconds.  After several trials, she concluded that “this type of training has demonstrated its positive impact for basic laparoscopic skills in the OR” (“Surgical training: Design of a virtual care pathway approach”). This test proves that Virtual Reality in the operating room can help train inexperienced surgeons but can also be used to show children what will be going on in the surgery to become more comfortable with what is happening.

The idea is to have medical staff walk patients through a simulation using the PlayStation VR, so the child can see what is going on.  The goal is to give the child a better understanding and have them be more comfortable with going into surgery.  Along with the feedback method proposed by Dr. Harley, the same method will be used to determine the effectiveness of our product.  Through a survey both preoperative and postoperative, kids will judge how comfortable they feel and will have felt after both the virtual reality simulation and the actual surgery.  In addition, to make the simulation as best as it can be, adjustments will be made based on any negative comments.

 

User experience/user interface

When children undergo any kind of procedure, they can feel incredibly anxious not knowing what to expect.  Hospitals try their best to educate children and families of what to expect when going to the hospital.  Since technology is evolving, more hospitals have equipment and funds that will help further educate children and families of what to expect in a hospital and during an operation through Virtual Reality.  If a child must undergo surgery, there are many ways to prepare for their surgery that are slightly different than our Virtual Reality idea.

With research, Kidshealth.org suggests the best way to help prepare children for surgery is by explaining what will happen by reading books and informing children in a way that they will understand comfortably.  This way, the hospital doesn’t seem as threatening (“Preparing your Child for Surgery”).  The tone used when presenting the information to children is extremely important to prevent them from becoming fearful.  

Both KidsHealth organization and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia agree that another way for children to prepare for surgery is through preoperative family orientation and hospital tours which are led by nurses and licensed child-life specialists.  They are trained professionals ready to walk through and talk to kids about medical procedures they will undergo (Dowshen; “Preparing your Child for Surgery”).  It’s always reassuring to hear someone talk and go through what is to be expected, but it doesn’t give the same effect as experiencing the procedure.

With technology evolving, we explore different ways of educating people with Virtual Reality experiences.  Stanford Medicine provides information on Virtual Reality as it’s used to help alleviate pain and anxiety before children undergo surgery.  Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is one of the first hospitals that will begin to implement distraction-based VR therapy for patients, such as Blaine Baxter.  This VR application is a way for children to become more comfortable with surgery distracting them with games from a more therapeutic VR application. “The VR was a game changer for Blaine.  As soon as he put the goggles on, sedation was no longer needed” (Kate Detrempe), since Blaine Baxter had suffered from an arm injury.  Blaine mother, had mentioned, “He would immediately start crying and screaming out of fear, and had to be sedated before doctors could approach his arm”.  With the VR application, Blaine’s mind was completely distracted by the games that made it seem like he was actually there.  For example, Blaine was able to swim under the sea, zap flying cheeseburgers in outer space, and even fly on paper airplanes through the sky.  The VR has helped Blaine ease his feelings of pain and anxiety.

According to the article, “Development of a Virtual Reality Exposure Tool as Psychological Preparation for Elective Pediatric Day Care Surgery: Methodological Approach for a Randomized Controlled Trial”, it expresses that they expose children to all aspects of an operation room which will prepare children psychologically for surgery that is very similar to our Virtual Reality (Eijlers).

Since talking about different ways of preparing for surgery, our team has constructed an idea that will allow the preparation for surgery through Virtual Reality.  In this Virtual Reality application, one can do almost just about everything as other hospitals are doing in preparation for surgery.  We will be able to educate children before surgery while relieving their pain and reducing their anxiety.  Our VR application is different from other Virtual Reality applications because children will be able to see what the doctors would be doing during their surgery. Children would then get a better understanding of what to expect.  This is so much more informative than reading documents and telling patients and their families what is going to happen.

 

Implementation Strategy

Our virtual reality application will be implemented for quite some time.  Also, the main difference is that it is more interactive with children by including activities that will take place before their surgery.  In order for children to have the experience, it is imperative that we start recording many different medical scenarios that will be able to help them in understanding the procedure.  Our Virtual Reality targets children between the ages of 6 and 18 and we have chosen a PlayStation VR, because it is less bulky and intimidating.  The PlayStation VR will appear more kid-friendly and something they would be familiar with as it looks like something that would be in their own home.  The PlayStation VR is completely affordable for hospitals to have several at a time as it only would cost them around $200 to $500.  We will market by visiting hospitals and doing a demonstration of our product to them to show them how our product is very beneficial.  To advertise our product, it could also be shown on Facebook since many parents are likely to use it.  We will have a professional-looking model that will entice the hospitals to buy and use our Virtual Reality experience.  

 

Long-term Vision

Our initial prototype will include a Virtual Reality experience for young children, especially between the ages of 6 and 18.  Our Virtual Reality will include information and games that will help children understand what is going to happen throughout the duration of their procedure.  This will allow us to focus on ways to improve the experience for preoperative children.  The Virtual Reality will make it easier for young children to understand what is going on in the medical field because it will use language familiar to them.  They will be able to play games that will make them feel like they are helping the doctors and medical professionals undergo the surgery.  For example, the children will be able to be inside the room and be able to hear and feel compared to the actual surgery room.  For some common pediatric surgeries will first be developed to allow us to focus on a small portion of this idea.  Common surgeries, as stated by Rosenfeld that would be possible for Virtual Reality, are appendectomy (for children with appendicitis) and tonsillectomy (for children who need their tonsils removed) (“15 Most Common Types of Pediatric Surgery”).  In the first stage of this prototype, these surgeries will be available to children who are undergoing basic medical procedures.  

The next stage of this Virtual Reality development, more sections will be made, for a wider range of ages.  The focus will be on children who are 5 years old and below.  It will be able to explain to them, in a very basic way, of the procedure that’s going to be done to them.  The Virtual Reality experience, will include interactive stories with children who are undergoing surgery.  It is important to have it more fun and basic for them, so they won’t be as scared prior to their surgery.  Again, only a few very common surgeries will be made in the beginning, to allow the focus to be on the quality.  As it mentions in KidsHealth.org, “it is important for younger kids to understand what is going to happen and clear up any confusions because they will be less scared and more cooperative with the medical staff” (Rosenfeld).  Younger children will especially benefit from this type of invention.

Another long-term stage of this Virtual Reality experience will provide a greater variety of pediatric surgeries.  That will include a greater amount of rare surgeries that children are going to receive.  It can also include a section that will teach parents on how to act around their children before and after their operation.  This is also beneficial to parents since they would also be worried and anxious about their children’s surgical experiences.  The future for Virtual Reality being used in this way is endless.  As time progresses, a new medical technology will be created, and Virtual Reality could be easily updated to match what is being used in the children’s hospitals and doctor’s offices on a daily basis.  

 

 

Works Cited

Buyuk, Tural, et al. “Original Article: An Analysis of the Anxiety Levels of Mothers Who Participate in Education and Therapeutic Games About Their Children’s Surgeries.” ScienceDirect, Elsevier Inc., 2017, ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edselp&AN=S1089947217300412&site=eds-live&scope=site. Nov 2017.          

 

DeTrempe, Kate. “Virtual Reality Alleviates Pain, Anxiety for Pediatric Patients.” News Center, 7 Sept. 1970, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/09/virtual-reality-alleviates-pain-anxiety-for-pediatric-patients.html. Nov 2017.

 

Developement, Germany: Springer, 7 Jan. 2016, eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=11688c16-38d5-4a70-85be-c076e1cb3bd9%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=2016-01317-001&db=psyh. Nov 2017.

 

Eijlers R, et al. “Development of a Virtual Reality Exposure Tool as Psychological Preparation for Elective Pediatric Day Care Surgery: Methodological Approach for a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Original Publications, JMIR, 11 Sep 2011. Publications,https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=28893727&site=eds-live&scope=site. Nov 2017.           

 

Harely, Jason M, et al. “Comparing Virtual and Location-Based Augmented Reality Mobile Learning: Emotions and Learning Outcomes.” Education Technology Research and Developement, Germany : Springer, 7 Jan. 2016, eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=11688c16-38d5-4a70-85be-c076e1cb3bd9%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=2016-01317-001&db=psyh. Nov 2017.

 

Philadelphia, The Children’s Hospital of. “Preparing Your Child for Surgery.” The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 12 May 2014, www.chop.edu/patients-and-visitors/guide-your-childs-surgery/preparing-your-child-surgery. Nov 2017.      

 

Phoenix Children’s Hospital, KindVR. “Effects of Virtual Reality on Pre-Operative Anxiety and Inducation of Anesthesia in Children and Adikescents.” Clinicaltrials.gov, Valley Anesthesiology Consultants, 2017. ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsclt&AN=edsclt.NCT03239743&site=eds-live&scope=site.   Nov 2017.

 

“Preparing Your Child for Surgery.” Edited by Steven Dowshen, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Nov. 2014, kidshealth.org/en/parents/hosp-surgery.html. Nov 2017.

 

Rosenfeld, Jonathan, et al. “15 Most Common Types of Pediatric Surgery.” Personal Injury News & Developments, 14 Aug. 2017, www.rosenfeldinjurylawyers.com/news/common-types-of-pediatric-surgery/ http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hosp-surgery.html. Nov 2017.

 

“Surgical Training: Design of a Virtual Care Pathway Approach.” Surgery, Mosby, 28 July 2014, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039606014002153. Nov 2017.

 

Storyboard:

file:///C:/Users/laura/Downloads/vr-surgery-application2.pdf

 

Presentation:

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AsycTNVAM8E-gXNLKFSctU_mhNrY

 

How is Virtual Reality and Learning Disabilities connected?

According to Parenting Special Needs, children with disabilities are able to explore and create new environments in a way that allows them to experience what would normally be difficult for them to experience in real life (www.parentingspecialneeds.com). Therefore, it can be concluded that virtual reality is beneficial to the education system. I propose that virtual reality be implemented to help kids with learning disabilities learn in ways that are more beneficial and productive. Although virtual reality has benefits for all kids, I think that there should be a virtual reality experience that is created just for kids who learn differently. If more kids with learning disabilities learn through virtual reality they will get a real life experience of what they are learning and be able to connect with the lesson more. In my opinion, if virtual reality is used more kids with special needs, kids will learn more in the same span of time for the school year and will enjoy learning a lot more. In order to improve our education system and learning in general, it is crucial for us to find ways to make children want to learn while still maintaining the well being of the system. I believe that this is the way to do it.

References

Haddad, D. (2017). The Benefits of Virtual Reality for Children with Learning Disabilities – Parenting Special Needs Magazine. [online] Parenting Special Needs Magazine.  https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/the-benefits-of-virtual-reality-for-children-with-learning-disabilities/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2017].

Virtual Reality for Preoperative Children

Many children, before surgery, are very anxious.  Virtual reality could be used to relieve anxiety in children and parents.  This would be a great way for hospitals and doctor’s offices to explain to children what is going to happen.  Virtual reality could also be used to help children enjoy the experience more by making the environment more fun for them.  Using a PlayStation VR, they could play games and feel like they are actually helping the doctors.  The PlayStation VR would be the best device for this use, because it is less bulky and will not be as intimidating for kids.  Younger children could watch videos or interactive stories to make them understand what they will feel and see during their operation.  Children who feel better prepared will have less anxiety and be less scared.  The parents of preoperative children will also feel better seeing their children going into surgery, if the children are happy.  Most children’s hospitals, today, either show children YouTube videos, play games, or talk to them about what is going to happen.  Virtual reality for preoperative children would be more realistic and would be a great way to relieve anxiety from both the children and the parents.

Works Cited

KindVR and Hospital Phoenix Children’s. “Effects of Virtual Reality on Pre-Operative Anxiety   and Induction of Anesthesia in Children and Adolescents.” 2017. EBSCOhost,   ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&  db=edsclt&AN=edsclt.NCT03239743&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Tural Buyuk, Esra and Bahire Bolişik. “Original Article: An Analysis of the Anxiety Levels of   Mothers Who Participate in Education and Therapeutic Games about Their Children’s   Surgeries.” Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, 01 Jan. 2017. EBSCOhost,   doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2016.09.011.

Virtual Reality and Music Education?

Imagine the future, without music. As we get older, our use of musical instruments and musical education have dwindled dearly. My final project is to introduce music inside of Virtual Reality. The turn away of musical instruments are the prices of what you’re getting for your object of choice. Let’s be honest, getting a quality instrument results in probably over a thousand-dollar bill, or even more,  which doesn’t look pretty. With the use of Virtual Reality, our costs of instruments can be cut to less of a charge. This project will teach children how to properly hold and properly play an instrument before jumping to the real thing. This will help save money to families because the families won’t have to keep grabbing a bigger size of an instrument when a child grows. Before breaking a valuable instrument, the child needs to learn the proper stances of a certain kind of instruments, and VR can bring that child into the spotlight as if they’re actually playing for a crowd. Also, with this way, children can express their knowledge of music and have fun and interactable games that bring the child to a reenactment of musical history. With Virtual Reality, the odds are endless. Even with the fifteen dollar model of a VR headset, a student can become part of the music that shaped history.

An easier way to learn anatomy

 

My virtual reality simulation primarily focuses on the functions related to anatomy class. During this virtual reality simulation, you can explore the body and the functions that happen within the body. It is primarily to benefit people similar to myself who have to memorize the different functions in the body, all the muscles, and all the bones. The simulation will be very helpful for nursing majors or pre-med majors as well as anyone who has to take anatomy and learn about the body. Primarily this will apply to college students but could also be beneficial for high schoolers who are taking anatomy. Anatomy is a very difficult subject and many students struggle to learn the numerous amount of information contained in the subject. This virtual simulation will make it much easier to remember the information as it will be interactive which is a hands-on learning which has shown to be the way most people learn effectively. The simulation will allow you to travel through the body and explore the muscles, bones and functions. You will be able to watch the motions and functions of the bone and muscle so it is easier to memorize. The simulation would also have audio in the background if you wanted to listen and have the simulation walk you through the processes and steps related to the particular area in the body you wish to learn. I would allow my simulation to be through the cardboard with your phone so it is accessible for more people unlike the very expensive virtual reality simulators since most college students do not have the money to afford something very expensive. It will allow it to be very accessible so students can simply have an easier and more effective method to learn a complicated subject like anatomy.

Learning A New Language Through Virtual Reality

I believe virtual reality can assist anyone in learning a new language. If you could be completely immersed in a new language it will be easier to catch on and enhance your understanding. My program will use a VR visor and controllers so the user can interact in the game. There will be an instructor in front of you, speaking  in any language you wish to learn and at the bottom of the screen there will be subtitles. The user will be able to have a conversation with the instructor and they will respond and correct any mistakes. The user can choose to be in a classroom setting or in a country of choice. There will also be different levels, like beginner, intermediate, and expert.

Bringing Virtual Reality of education in Foreign countries or for those in poverty

My virtual reality is to be able to bring the education to those who can’t afford to take their kids to school and for foreign countries in need of education. Education is not always free unlike the United States, people in foreign countries struggle to put their kids in school because of the cost to attend school. Not only am I talking about foreign countries but also in rural areas where there is so much poverty. It’s all messed up and the parents can’t afford to buy their kids uniforms and books so they can be able to attend school. According to dosomething.org it says, “In Sub-Saharan, 11.07 million children leave school before completing their primary education. In South and West Asia, that number reaches 13.54 million.” that is a lot, great minds are being wasted and with the education in place they can achieve greater things in life. Another example, according to elitedaily. com it mentions, ” In Papua New Guinea 60 percent of females are illiterate and that number is even worse in more rural areas. Primary education remains neither free nor  compulsory, while violence against women is almost a mainstay.”So to be able to give them a chance of a life time and changing lives, lets bring Virtual reality education to them. They don’t have to pay much but to get the cardboard set, headphones, and an ipad that will have all the subjects downloaded already. In order to have those materials, we as a community will help fund raise or donate and also with their help to make this possible. With the virtual reality coming to life, can be able to help them attend school where ever they are and not have to worry about paying to much.  They can be able to access any subjects that they wish to learn. With that being said, the kids can have another shot to changing their lifestyle and accomplishments of success. With the education it will give those children hope to hold on to.

First Responders VR Training

I would like to create an educational virtual reality program to help train some of our first responders, such as EMTs and Firefighters. According to National Fire Protection Association, based on a poll of 1,160,450 local firefighters in the United States, 70% of all firefighters are volunteers (“U.S. fire department profile” Haynes). It has also been studied that “EMS volunteers answer close to half of the nation’s 911 calls – possibly up to 90% in the most rural states” (“Why volunteers are critical to the future of EMS.” Magee). Majority of our first responders are volunteers, meaning they don’t get paid. However, just because they are volunteers doesn’t mean they don’t require training. For volunteer firefighters a minimum of 110 hours of study in National Fire Protection Association may be required (“How long does it take to become a firefighter” FireTatics) along with specific training required by the fire department itself, resulting in costs that a volunteer firefighter may not have. According to an EMS website, to become an EMT, a CPR certification and EMR or EMS certification may be required. EMR or EMS certifications can take up to a whole semester at a community college (“How do I volunteer as an EMT?” EMS1 Staff) costing around $90 dollars for CPR training (“Register for Classes” American Red Cross) and approximately $800 for the EMT certification course (“EMT Program” Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Training and Classes). Both volunteer firefighters and EMTs are required to pay large sums of money for training that is mostly book work in a classroom and written tests. Both careers need better simulation training that prepares them for the real world. Written tests and real-life situations aren’t the same. Somebody could be a great test taker and even work well on mannequins in training, but fail in a real-life situation which could potentially be life threatening. Not only should they get a hands-on experience without endangering their lives, but they should also have practice in real-life situations without endangering other people’s lives. If I was ever to need EMTs or firefighters to come help me or save my life, I would want to make sure they are highly qualified. All first responders aren’t volunteer, but that doesn’t change the type of training they get. All first responders go through the same training, unless there is a need for more intensive training for the paid first responders. No matter whether they are paid or volunteer, everybody should have simulation training based on real life. People may crack under pressure, and when somebody’s life is on the line it is best to not figure that out in real time, but better to figure it out while virtual people’s lives are on the line.

Works Cited:

American Red Cross. “Register for Classes.” American Red Cross, American Red Cross, 2017, www.redcross.org/courses/index.jsp.

EMS1 Staff. “How do I volunteer as an EMT?” EMS1, EMS1.Com, 5 Oct. 2016, www.ems1.com/volunteer-rural-ems/articles/130564048-How-do-I-volunteer-as-an-EMT/.

“EMT Program.” EMT Training, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Training and Classes, 2016, www.topemttraining.com/emt-training/.

Haynes, Hylton J. G., and Gary P. Stein. “U.S. fire department profile.” NFPA report – U.S. fire department profile, NFPA, Apr. 2017, www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Fire-statistics/The-fire-service/Administration/US-fire-department-profile.

“How long does it take to become a firefighter?” FireTactics, FireTatics, 25 Apr. 2015, www.firetactics.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-become-a-firefighter/.

Magee, Nancy. “Why volunteers are critical to the future of EMS.” Why volunteers are critical to the future of EMS, EMS1.Com, 7 May 2015, www.ems1.com/community-awareness/articles/2169080-Why-volunteers-are-critical-to-the-future-of-EMS/.