Project MATHILDA

For the University of the Bundeswehr Munich and the Bavarian Centre for Special Operations (BayZBE), we developed Project Mathilda – a highly immersive VR training programme for emergency medical personnel. Designed to prepare rescue workers for urban mass casualty incidents, it provides training in a safe yet highly realistic environment.

The training takes place within a large-scale VR scenario that simulates a real-life disaster, such as a serious accident at a busy farmers’ market. Participants must assess the situation, prioritise casualties, and take initial action. A deep sense of immersion is achieved through realistic injury patterns, distress sounds, and even experimental odour simulation.

A tracking system records participants‘ movements, allowing them to navigate freely within the simulated environment. Additionally, the trainees‘ vital signs are monitored and linked to their field of vision. This data is stored and later used for a detailed debriefing. Trainers can control and oversee the system via a web app, while the collected data is analysed by the University of the Bundeswehr to support scientific research and further advancements in digital training methods.

We were supported by AOE from Wiesbaden in implementing the connection to the existing training infrastructure. Together, we were able to successfully realise this project.

Our project partners:
University of the Bundeswehr Munich
BayZBE – Bavarian Centre for Special Operations
AOE

Mathilda was realised as part of the Smart Health Lab. The project is funded by dtec.bw – Centre for Digitisation and Technology Research of the German Armed Forces. dtec.bw is funded by the European Union -NextGenerationEU.