Ambulance simulator and engineering training
Virtual training environments are changing apprenticeships, not only in industry but in other sectors as well. The assistance system Machine@Hand of the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics IGD will soon be in use in the paramedic apprenticeship.
The Fraunhofer IGD is making its virtual training tool Machine@Hand available for the voluntary paramedic apprenticeship. Similar to pilot training in a flight simulator, every trainee of the Herford section of the German Red Cross (DRK-Kreisverband Herford-Stadt e.V.) will have to have spent a specific number of hours training in the ambulance simulator until he or she knows blindfolded which drawer to open in which situation. The purpose of this is not only to ensure a well-grounded inner confidence when in action but also to make the apprenticeship less time consuming.
This enables the time of up to 800 hours for the whole apprenticeship to be reduced in the long term. An important factor when it comes to enhancing the appeal of voluntary work.
Machine@Hand was developed as a visual-assistance system for the manufacturing industry where operational processes and maintenance procedures are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex. Dismantling and reassembling big machines for purely training purposes is often almost impossible. For this reason, Machine@Hand is being used for training service engineers at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, for example.
Author: Thea Payome
