Intensive care units (ICUs) are characterized by a variety of medical machines and devices that share complex dependencies with the patient. ICU nurses need to understand the relations between these devices and the patient, and must be able to act fast and decisively at any point in time. Training staff on handling this complexity, especially during emergency situations, is a long and costly process.
Augmented Reality (AR) is an upcoming technology that offers fundamentally new possibilities for training and assisting medical staff throughout complex medical procedures. This project aims at building an AR simulation training setup for an ICU, focusing on a single device (e.g., ECMO), and to evaluate the performance of this novel training method in a user study.
Intensive care units (ICUs) are characterized by a variety of medical machines and devices that share complex dependencies with the patient. ICU nurses need to understand the relations between these devices and the patient, and must be able to act fast and decisively at any point in time. Training staff on handling this complexity, especially during emergency situations, is a long and costly process.
Augmented Reality (AR) is an upcoming technology that offers fundamentally new possibilities for training and assisting medical staff throughout complex medical procedures. This project aims at building an AR simulation training setup for an ICU, focusing on a single device (e.g., ECMO), and to evaluate the performance of this novel training method in a user study.
As a starting point you will interview expert nurses to get an understanding of the device, typical emergency situations, and how to respond to them. You will then implement an AR simulation training app for one selected troubleshooting scenario using Unity 3D & C# and validate it regularly in small user tests with end users. The implemented scenario should cause the vital parameters of the simulated patient to follow certain trends that the participant then has to respond to. In a second step, you will explore means to provide automated feedback on task performance (e.g., wrong execution of certain steps).
As a starting point you will interview expert nurses to get an understanding of the device, typical emergency situations, and how to respond to them. You will then implement an AR simulation training app for one selected troubleshooting scenario using Unity 3D & C# and validate it regularly in small user tests with end users. The implemented scenario should cause the vital parameters of the simulated patient to follow certain trends that the participant then has to respond to. In a second step, you will explore means to provide automated feedback on task performance (e.g., wrong execution of certain steps).
- enthusiasm for the medical field - passionate to improve training in life-saving medical procedures - very good programming skills (experience with C# is beneficial but not mandatory) - open personality, good communication skills - very structured and independent way of working
Success in product development depends heavily on the competence and skills of teams and individuals. This is why we dedicate our research to create knowledge that enables the value-adding use of new technologies - and to make this knowledge tangible and teachable. Industrial and clinical needs are the driving forces for our interdisciplinary research. Our work is distinguished by a variety of methods, ranging from simulation to validation of real applications. Our research changes the way we develop products, and our expertise changes the way we create sustainable value.
Success in product development depends heavily on the competence and skills of teams and individuals. This is why we dedicate our research to create knowledge that enables the value-adding use of new technologies - and to make this knowledge tangible and teachable. Industrial and clinical needs are the driving forces for our interdisciplinary research. Our work is distinguished by a variety of methods, ranging from simulation to validation of real applications. Our research changes the way we develop products, and our expertise changes the way we create sustainable value.
- Microsoft Hololens 2 AR headset - Build an AR simulation training environment - Learn working with the GameEngine "Unity 3D" and C# - highly relevant topic
Please send your CV, list of grades and short motivation letter together with a description of your skills, experience, and prior projects to Julian Wolf (wolfju@ethz.ch)
Please send your CV, list of grades and short motivation letter together with a description of your skills, experience, and prior projects to Julian Wolf (wolfju@ethz.ch)