The final pilot of Auggmed took place in the Port of Piraeus Port, Greece, on the 23rd of March. The aim of this pilot was to trial its Mixed Reality functionality. The platform has undergone many iterations throughout its lifespan, conducting pilots with end users along the way to obtain their feedback and improve the platform. The project had already conducted two trials with end users prior to this final pilot in Piraeus.
Auggmed aims to create a multimodal serious games platform for training first responders, with specific focus on training situational awareness and decision making. The platform aimed to develop three different modes: desktop; touch screen; Virtual Reality (VR); and Mixed Reality (MR). At the first stage of the project, the desktop and touch screen mode was trialled on West Yorkshire Police, the scenario used for the trial aimed to train firearms officers on how to respond to a firearms attack. The second stage of the project implemented VR, it was piloted at FGC head quarters in Barcelona. This pilot aimed to train the FGC security personnel on how to deal with a suspect package and SEM paramedics on emotional resilience and triage tagging in a post explosion scenario. The scenarios for each pilot were created specifically for the end users and were centred around their requirements.
Six scenarios were developed for the final pilot, these scenario’s involved searching the port for suspicious packages and weapons attacks. The security personnel needed to work together to respond to the situation in the best way possible. Whilst in Piraeus, Auggmed gained the attention of the local police, who showed interest in the platform, they were encouraged to participate in the scenario’s during the pilot, to allow them the opportunity to train and work together with the security personnel of the port, this was something they wouldn’t normally get the chance to do. Multi-agency training is one of the key advantages of the Auggmed platform, so this was an ideal opportunity to obtain feedback about this feature.
CENTRIC’s role in the pilot involved showing trainee’s how to use the platform and assisting with any technical issues. Overall the pilot was a success, and Auggmed received plenty of good feedback which can be used in the final review of the project.