Latvia Final Demonstration of VR Trauma Simulator for EU Military Medical Training

Defense News ,Europe :- The Latvian Ministry of Defence has successfully concluded the final demonstration of its Virtual Reality Trauma Simulator (VireTS) project in Ādaži, marking a significant milestone in advanced trauma care preparation for allied militaries. The initiative, part of a multinational project led by the EU in collaboration with Latvian digital simulation developer Exonicus, aims to provide unified and state-of-the-art trauma care training for military personnel across Europe.

VireTS is specifically designed to impart crucial knowledge to teams with basic medical education and limited experience, ensuring sustained support for combat operations and major incidents. Employing 3D modeling technology, the simulator creates individual trauma scenarios tailored to specific battlefield injuries, fostering mutual medical cooperation during peacetime.

The Latvian defense agency emphasized the active development of the simulator environment, virtual characters, equipment, and patient simulation. National Armed Forces experts from Latvia and abroad have contributed to ensuring the simulator's compliance with real battle scenarios, establishing essential criteria for an effective training tool.

The demonstration follows a 30-million-euro ($32.4 million) contract signed between the EU and Exonicus to establish a virtual training and decision resource catalog for EU militaries. This catalog will enable EU members to select and procure the necessary combinations and simulations for joint training, providing a dynamic and adaptable resource for military medical education.

Described by Exonicus Project Director Līga Ellere as akin to a computer game, the VireTS system allows military medics and students to virtually navigate through various scenarios. The system records their procedures, enabling self-evaluation or analysis with an instructor to identify correct actions and areas for improvement.

Exonicus received 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million) from the European Defence Fund in 2021 to support the development of Latvia's VireTS. In 2020, the company collaborated with the Latvian defense ministry on virtual injury simulation scenarios to assist military medics in responding to the challenges posed by the coronavirus. In a previous contract in 2019, Riga awarded Exonicus the task of manufacturing a medical trauma simulation prototype for the armed forces.