Smart and Healthy Living

Realistic VR training for emergency staff

© Frauhofer EMFT / US Dept. of Agriculture
Use of the virtual reality system for training purposes.

Fraunhofer EMFT and the Universität der Bundeswehr in Munich are developing a virtual reality system (VR) with olfactory components for the training of emergency and rescue staff.

They are are subject to particular pressure and must act quickly and with focus even under stress and danger. This makes it all the more important to prepare for the job as realistically as possible. Therefore, in the project “StressScent”, applications for scent dosage and vital parameter sensor technology are integrated into a VR headset.

Fraunhofer EMFT is developing the necessary microdosing technology in the form of the smallest micropumps in the world to date, measuring 3.5 × 3.5 × 0.6 mm³. An array of these piezoelectrically driven silicon micropumps and several reservoirs for aromatic substances enables changing scent scenarios with every breath cycle.

In parallel, vital parameters such as respiratory cycle, pulse, heart rate variability and skin conductivity are recorded to determine the stress level. In particular, respiratory data are also taken into account in the dosage of fragrances, thus enabling individual adaptive gameplay.

The current main application of the StressScent system is a simulation of the Universität der Bundeswehr, which is intended to prepare emergency medical care staff for deployment in public and military sector.

Last modified: