Biosafety Level 3 Virtual Twin Lab

This project teaches users step-by-step procedures for donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) within a virtual twin of the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory.

Outcomes and Additional Information

• The team created a virtual twin of USAFSAM’s BSL-3 Lab, a location that researches infectious agents in high security security environments, requiring respirators, sealed gowns, and other equipment.

• Goals of the project include reducing training costs and resources, reducing the risk of trainee exposure to infectious agents, and increasing training opportunities by shifting to a virtual environment.

• Trainees learn PPE donning and doffing procedures in a realistic and immersive environment, removing the bottleneck of training at the BSL-3 lab. A user's procedural accuracy and performance can be tracked and logged to assess competency. 

• The training includes text prompts to ensure all steps are completed and features realistic animations of upper body hand and limb movements that adapt to user input and interactions. 

• The virtual environment and training includes moving through an entry path, anterooms for donning and doffing PPE, and into the main laboratory space. Lab equipment and objects were modeled to match physical constraints and interaction points. 

• Future work includes improved environment and design, additional training scenarios and emergency response scenarios, and multiplayer gameplay.