08 November 2018
The University of South Australia and Saab are partnering to bring visitors to MOD.’s next exhibition – WAGING PEACE - a virtual experience like no other - the chance to see and feel a part of a deployable hospital using HoloLens® technology.
This rare insight into how augmented reality (AR) is helping in the design and set-up of sophisticated deployable medical technologies in disaster zones is a first for South Australia.
Waging Peace opens on November 27 and includes an array of exhibits designed to challenge traditional ideas of peace-building.
The Saab Augmented Relief exhibit will allow visitors wearing HoloLens® devices to walk through a virtual field hospital and experience it as medical staff would in real scenarios where emergency medical support is needed.
Director of MOD. Dr Kristin Alford says the collaboration with Saab will give people first-hand experience of how AR technologies are being used by local industry to innovate the design process using cutting edge technology.
“The innovations pioneered by the defence sector are much broader than people imagine and often underpin civilian applications that enhance our capacity to deliver health care, emergency assistance and other much needed human services,” Dr Alford says.
The collaboration builds on a joint agreement signed in 2017 by Saab and the University to establish the Saab Australia-UniSA Defence Technologies Institute, a collaboration designed to develop a key education and research pipeline for highly skilled systems engineers in SA.
That partnership also supports the ongoing development and refinement of AR technologies, along with autonomous systems, cybersecurity and complex systems engineering through engagement with UniSA researchers.
Managing Director of Saab Australia, Andy Keough says the Augmented Relief exhibit will give people a better idea of the incredible adaptability of augmented reality technologies.
“Using this technology, we can see what works and in what circumstances, so it means we are able to design more efficient medical facilities for the field,” he says.
“We can then test those designs and refine our work so that deployable hospitals and the medical technologies they contain are fit for all circumstances.”
“We are delighted to be a part of the Waging Peace exhibition because it poses important questions about the social, environmental and human factors that influence peace, and understanding how technologies can actively support peaceful societies is a vital element of that story.”
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli mobile 0418 823 673 email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
