SBIR-STTR Award

The dNovus team is pleased to present its proposal to address the challenge of developing reusable synthetic tissue for trauma training. We propose a conceptual system and approach called "TraumaSKINS" which will provide a family of appliqués/attachments to existing and future patient simulators and which will have the "look and feel" of real, traumatized tissue. Emotional learning is one of the most salient issues for trauma care training because of the psychological impact of witnessing severe injury. Emotional learning for trauma care is one of the most difficult to train because it requires high fidelity and realism, particularly to medical personnel who already have some experience with trauma. Large numbers of medical training patient simulator "dummies" have been developed and sold for medical training. The TraumaSKINS approach puts emphasis on developing appliqués and attachments to existing and future patient simulator "dummies" in order to minimize cost. Special effects technologies will be used as a basis for development of this family of appliqués and/or attachments which can be made from inexpensive moldable materials that simulate the various types of tissue involved in traumatic injury. The TraumaSKINS developmental approach will use a spiral development process and the Instructional System Design (ISD) methodology.

Benefits:
The development of TraumaSKINS technology for medical trauma training will have the following benefits " Improved effectiveness of military and civilian medical trauma treatment training. " Improved efficiency of military and civilian medical trauma treatment training. " Reduced emotional stress on medics and other personnel involved in trauma treatment " Improved readiness for military medical medics and other personnel, developed during peacetime when opportunities for battlefield trauma training are rare. " Reduced use or elimination of live tissue for trauma treatment training -Improved medical readiness to deal with natural and man-made disasters including terrorist attack for Homeland Defense and Homeland Security.

Keywords:
Trauma, medical training, simulated tissue

The results of Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of the TraumaSKINS system concept and indicated that the first TraumaSKINS product should provide an innovative, realistic simulation of a particular type of battlefield injury. Trauma skins will simulate this injury but also provide stimulus elements that simulate the medic environment associated with such injuries. The simulation will be based on special effects technologies and will realistically simulate visual, auditory, haptic and olfactory aspects such that the medic can be desensitized to traumatic injuries in order to perform more effectively and efficiently. In Phase II, a prototype of the TraumaSKINS product will be constructed, evaluated and refined through testing that will involve both developmental testing by our panel of medical experts in military and civilian medical training. Phase II will also involve human factors analysis of the prototype construction process in order to identify specific areas for Phase III manufacturing research and development. TraumaSKINS will interface to a wide variety of human medical simulators. A flexible commercialization plan has been developed for Phase III which features an early first-to-market strategy with continuing technology innovation based on the human factors analysis in Phase II to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Keywords:
Trauma, Medic, Training, Simulated Tissue, Simulation, Human Factors, Special Effects