The current Covid-19 pandemic has put extreme amounts of pressure on healthcare workers whilst highlighting the need for more advanced training techniques. Recently, training simulation Virtro announced work on a project designed specifically for workers in long term care homes.
Those living in these care homes tend to be more susceptible and are at greater risk if they catch Covid-19. So Virtro is developing this soft skills application which addresses both PPE training and ways to talk with residents in a suitable manner.
Virtro is using AI technology to create an advanced conversation engine so that staff can have unscripted conversations with Virtual Humans. This enables them to develop their conversational experience in a more natural way, rather than systems require multiple-choice answers.
“COVID-19 has impacted the world in an unprecedented way, and the interactions that healthcare workers are having with patients are drastically different, and we want to create applications that can contribute to positive health outcomes for people around the world,” said President of Virtro, Lee Brighton in a statement.
“Our goal is to emulate the emotions and feelings that healthcare workers may have when engaging with patients or colleagues; this is why we emphasize the importance of having free-flowing conversations in our applications,” Brighton continues. “With the assistance of AI, we can truly make innovative purpose-based learning programs that provide higher learning engagement and retention.”
Currently going through testing, Virtro aims to roll the new application out early this year, supporting both virtual reality (VR) headsets as well via web browsers for PC and Mac. For further updates on VR in healthcare, keep reading VRFocus.