The research project "Smart Health Lab (SHL)" aims to achieve innovative cutting-edge research in medical technology, sensor technology, data science as well as basic research on medical and psychological mechanisms and applied research on the effectiveness of smart health technologies.

The focus is currently on research for the military sector: the digitization of the Bundeswehr, training and further education, mission preparation and the prevention of mental disorders. The knowledge gained in this way can be transferred to the civilian application context, thus promoting civil-military cooperation. Research at the SHL combines various disciplines of the UniBw M as well as cooperation with respected civilian institutions in an innovative research facility.

As part of the project, UniBw M intends to implement a VR training program for incident commanders (Mathilda) with a focus on situational awareness. The aim of this call is to develop a VR training program for managers - with a focus on situational awareness and the precautionary process and, depending on the target group, the application of the command cycle using the example of an urban MANV situation with integrated threat scalability for emergency services and those affected by potential ongoing threats.

The research project "Smart Health Lab (SHL)" aims to achieve innovative cutting-edge research in medical technology, sensor technology, data science as well as basic research on medical and psychological mechanisms and applied research on the effectiveness of smart health technologies.

The focus is currently on research for the military sector: the digitization of the Bundeswehr, training and further education, mission preparation and the prevention of mental disorders. The knowledge gained in this way can be transferred to the civilian application context, thus promoting civil-military cooperation. Research at the SHL combines various disciplines of the UniBw M as well as cooperation with respected civilian institutions in an innovative research facility.

As part of the project, UniBw M intends to implement a VR training program for incident commanders (Mathilda) with a focus on situational awareness. The aim of this call is to develop a VR training program for managers - with a focus on situational awareness and the precautionary process and, depending on the target group, the application of the command cycle using the example of an urban MANV situation with integrated threat scalability for emergency services and those affected by potential ongoing threats.

The subject of the contract is the development of a specific training program that explores the hybrid approach, i.e. the transition from a previously taking place simulation training to a VR training element with a final return to the simulation training at the end. The development is being carried out in cooperation with the Bavarian Centre for Special Situations (BayZBE).

In reality, the scenario begins with the alarm. The test subject receives the mission order via radio with mission information and drives - as a manager - to the scene of the operation, where he puts on the VR glasses. The test subject is now immersed in the virtual scenario and has to collect information about the type and extent of the hazard situation or the damage event, which he documents virtually in an operation log. After passing through the location, he is received by a higher-ranking manager who arrives later. The VR glasses can be removed again and the test subject must submit a report on the information collected.

While the subject is going through the VR environment, the experiment leader must be able to control the scenario.

The Contractor develops a basic scenario in which a small vehicle drives into a sales stall/outdoor restaurant in an inner-city area and several injured persons with varying degrees of injury are spread across the premises. He is also developing an extended scenario by replacing the small vehicle with a small truck with a hazardous materials warning sign and increasing the number of injured people to 24. The scenarios must be integrated into the available space in the VR world (walkable area and obstacles must be taken into account).

The goal is an innovative VR training tool that covers adaptive, scalable scenarios, such as switching from "low-stress situations" to "high-stress situations". The training program is intended to expand the training of managers in the field (both first-time arriving units and personnel with leadership training) and to research and evaluate the use of VR in training.

In particular, the contractor must provide the following services:

- Development of two deployment scenarios (basic and extended scenario) for the given premises at the BayZBE;

- Development and setup of a simulation environment (SU) for VR incident commander training;

- Procurement and installation of the necessary hardware for the VR environment on the premises of the BayZBE;

- Integration of selected devices, wearables and gold-standard sensor technology;

- Integration of stressors on different sensory modalities (at least visual, auditory, cognitive, olfactory);

- Integration of the SU with the SIMStation BayZBE to allow the data recording to run during the training.

At the request of UniBw M, the contractor must optionally offer technical support for three years after acceptance of the last work package. UniBw M will call up the option no later than 3 months before the end of the project period.

UniBw M has a total budget of EUR 650,000.00 (net) available for the development of the VR training program for incident commanders - excluding optional services.

Details can be found in the attached service description (Annex 1 to the contract, Annex 2 to the AzA).