Society for Simulation in Health Care

We will be going to IMSH in Phoenix, AZ This weekend. If you are going to be attending and would like to meet please contact us.

Making the invisible, well... visible

When implementing new technologies to achieve an innovative outcome we are often in the position of having to explain abstract concepts or ideas that our clients just don't know how to understand. It's not that they can't understand its that they don't have the context. I found these great videos from Touch that visualize RFID (radio frequency identification) fields and show in essence the invisible.

Touch is a research project that investigates Near Field Communication (NFC), run by Timo Arnall at the Institute of Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design in Norway.

This video shows the interaction of multiple objects in a Rube Goldberg device without any of the objects physically touching each other. Only electrical signals, gravity or air cause interaction.

 This video shows the actual usable detection RF field around a RFID reader.

TED speaker Nick Veasey shows outsized X-ray images that reveal the otherworldly inner workings of familiar objects -- from the geometry of a wildflower to the anatomy of a Boeing 747. 

I am going to post another video shotly about visualizing magnetic fields with what Alex F lovingly refers to as magic grease.

An Asperger's Simulator Brainstorm

The healthcare industry is incredibly prolific in terms of its need for constant innovation and solutions to complex problems. At Human Condition, we try to think of how we can use our expertise in design and multi-sensory simulation to create experiences for those who may lack real life experience. Our latest “new idea” deals with developing a simulator for the Autism spectrum, and more specifically, the Asperger’s community. With this program, our target audience may go beyond that of just the medical community. Since Asperger’s is a social disorder, the realm of those affected by the disorder spans further from just Asperger’s individuals, their family members, and the healthcare industry. It therefore deserves understanding from outsiders in order to assure the inclusion of autistic people in social environments.

Asperger’s individuals isolate themselves socially and express difficulty in reciprocating in two-sided friendly exchanges. Their social ineptness creates tension within certain environments, not only for the Asperger’s individual but for educators, peers, family members, etc. as well. Everyone is sensitive toward social awkwardness, and we believe that a simulator would help in bridging the social gap between Asperger’s individuals and the greater community.

It is important that educators know how autistic students think. Encouraging integration of students with disabilities into general K-12 classrooms is crucial in promising autistic children a better chance at normalcy in the real world. Further isolation and lack of integration could worsen their already prominent social inept tendencies. In order for such integration to be successful, educators must understand the thought process of an autistic mind so they can then evaluate how to communicate effectively with such students. With our experience in making multi-sensory simulators, we could build a human experience device to help teachers navigate an Asperger’s mind.

Isolation is outdated in an age of social networking. Asperger’s individuals have a lot to offer our workforce, considering their ability to focus intently on one area of interest. They just require the patience and understanding of others.

The importance of realtime simulation

One of the key challenges in developing a complex multi-sensory simulator like the Heart FXPod is in controlling the devices that need to trigger events at the appropriate time during the media and respond to user input from external devices, such as foot pedals, in real-time. We need this to happen; with as little latency as possible, from when an event is called to the execution of the event, and the feedback to verify the event executed correctly.

Imagine if your mouse had a half-second delay every time you moved it with your hand. The on-screen pointer would be behind your input and maddeningly frustrating. A delay of only 150 milliseconds is enough time for your brain to question weather or not the mouse is actually even working.

We design all of our systems so that as little latency as possible is introduced giving participants as near-to-life experience as they would expect.

Why disease simulation?

Developing simulators to simulate disease states, while creating a captive media conduit for messaging, is a unique way for medical schools, health organizations, and pharmaceutical companies to promote and educate disease treatment and awareness of symptoms. There is a quantifiable difference between reading about a symptom or side effect and experiencing it first-hand through an immersive simulator.

Captivating storytelling is one of the most important elements of a successful simulation experience, allowing the participant to become more empathic and aware of all of the ailments a patient would be experiencing. Creating a compelling story arc allows the participant go through different stages of a given disease and experience the progression of symptoms as well as the regression with the correct treatments.

When designing a simulation you always have to take into consideration all of the elements that will truly immerse and not distract the participant such as: temperature, motion, light, wind, scent, participant position (sitting, standing, prone), live action or CG media and audio.

A simulator can reside in a briefcase or backpack when deployment requires ease of portability or multiple units in the field. For larger simulations, a permanent venue can be designed with ancillary facilities, such as training or briefing areas. When mobility is needed for a larger simulation, specially-designed simulation vehicles can be built to accommodate the simulation, as well as waiting areas and pre/post experience briefings. The mobile simulator can also provide a large canvas for awareness campaigns, as a 53' truck also acts as a giant moving billboard.

Other ideas for immersive disease simulators include:

Asthma, diabetes, glaucoma, Parkinson's, migraine, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, macular degeneration, obesity, phobias, epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, and while not a disease, our most requested; pregnancy.