Wide Area Virtual Environment
W.A.V.E.
The Wide Area Virtual Environment (WAVE) is a large-scale 3-D virtual reality theater designed to train medical teams in battlefield and natural disaster scenarios. Images are displayed on 24 vertical screens immersing viewers in a virtual setting. Learners alternate between 2 pods that can be quickly reconfigured to simulate progress through multiple stages of training scenarios, e.g. administering patient care-under-fire and continuing with evacuation and en route care. Sessions can be live streamed or recorded for debriefing purposes.
The WAVE does not rely on computer monitors or head-mounted displays. Rather, it creates an 8,000 sq ft virtual space allowing team members to interact with SPs, manikins, and real or virtual equipment to experience environmental stressors. An advanced sound system creates a “soundscape” that enhances the realism of the experience with flying bullets, screams, and explosions. Smoke generators and debris scattered across the floor add to the mayhem. Teams of up to 18 people can train together during a sustained period, as one pod can be used to simulate the aftermath of another portion of the scenario. For example, students can stabilize and evacuate patients away from an active firefight along a corridor to the second pod where a following scenario begins, such as a helicopter transport. Meanwhile, the first pod can be re-staged as a field hospital, allowing training to be sustained in real time for extended periods.