MED1stMR Consortium meets in Madrid

On 17th & 18th April 2023, the MED1stMR consortium came together for a General Assembly at the facilities of SERMAS – Salud 112 in Madrid. All participants were warmly welcomed at the Hospital de Emergencias Enfermera Isabel Zendal and had the opportunity to spend two inspiring and forward-thinking days. 

This meeting was important as it marks the last in-person meeting before the pilot dry-run in July 2023 for the upcoming field trials in the next 12 months all over Europe.

Day 1 – 17th April 2023

After a status update on the general project management and some notes on the last midterm review the research partners reported on the recent pre-studies and presented the results of the XVR study with medical first responders to verify performance indicators for mixed reality training and the team performance measurement options during training.

After a short break, the technical status was presented and the participants were able to explore the latest VR assets generated for the mixed reality solution, the stress measurement wearable solution, and insights on the powerful backend that will gather all generated data and be able to display them live to the trainer on the Trainer Dashboard. This will also build the base for the AI-based automated scenario control feature to enhance the options for medical first responder training. 

Two workshops were performed wherein the partners ranked and discussed the advantages of mixed reality training for the definition of the USP for the exploitation of the solution. The participants then held group discussions on the policy- and decision-maker landscape of first responder organisations in the EU. 

After an afternoon coffee break, the consortium moved to another room where the mixed reality solution was set up for tryout sessions. In the meanwhile, smaller groups discussed options on the Trainer Dashboard design, additionnaly needed virtual assets and data storage, as well as GDPR issues during field trials. 

The day ended with a joint dinner and a further exchange about the upcoming field trials that formed the most relevant topic of these two days.

Day 2 – 18th April 2023

The second day started in the training area for more tryouts and discussions on the field trial preparation regarding the technological solution. In parallel, smaller groups were given a guided tour through the hospital and the operation control centre. Especially for the end user partners, this collegial exchange on “how challenges are solved at other organisations” was important and well-received. At the same time, all other partners gained more contextual information through such hands-on experiences, which -in the end- help to better understand the end user’s point of view within the project. 

Later, discussions on the scenarios that will be used for the field trials were held, and after a lunch break, the research requirements and plans for the field trials were presented and aligned with the end user needs and the organisational planning for the six upcoming European field trials. 

Bringing together the interests of end-users, technology and research partners was facilitated by a personal exchange to find solutions that fit the whole consortium.