September 19, 2019
Two of our research projects, SCIPPR-D and BrainGroove, use an app-based intervention that was created in partnership with the Therapeutic Games and Apps Lab (The GApp Lab). This week, a couple of our research assistants toured the lab to learn more about the work they are doing.
The GApp Lab is a collaboration between the Center for Medical Innovation, the School of Entertainment Arts and Engineering (EAE), and the Eccles Health Sciences Library where they are housed. They are a research lab with a goal to bring awareness to the unique solutions that can be achieved through software and gamification. As Project Manager Jesse Ferraro puts it, “One of our main missions is to disrupt current knowledge and push new science.”
One of the projects we got to try out during our visit was the virtual trauma room. This is a virtual reality program that can give surgeons an opportunity to practice surgical procedures. A program like this can benefit surgeons in rural areas, allowing them to hone their skills in procedures they only occasionally encounter. Another virtual reality project we tried out was the virtual home visit. This project is being developed for the School of Social Work. Its aims is to help students develop the clinical reasoning they will use in the field when assessing the safety of children's homes.
One of the more futuristic projects we learned about is the Drone Commander. This is a drone traffic simulation program that is being developed for UDOT’s Division of Aeronautics. The program runs simulations on three types of drones that will operate simultaneously: medical supply delivery, package delivery, and drone taxis. The program is working to see how many drones can be active, how many skyports are needed, and the logistics if all the drones need to be grounded.
In the five years the lab has been running, they have developed over 60 apps, primarily in the areas of medicine and education. Their projects are designed for researchers, instructors, students, medical professionals, and patients. Depending on the project and its funding, the development time for a project ranges from a single semester to two or three years. Their team includes 25-30 graduate students from EAE each semester. Learn more about The GApp Lab and their projects if you are interested.
