Microgames for Proactive Preventative Medicine

October 1, 2010

The Department of Defense is actively looking for unified Force Health Protection and Deployment Health strategies to protect service members and their families from health hazards associated with military service. The Air Force is looking for a technology that will help save lives and promote healthy individuals, units, and communities while improving force morale and warfighting capabilities. Creating a technology that will encompass these goals will facilitate successful deployment opportunities.

Ontar Corporation (North Andover, MA) developed a system that will provide advanced distributed learning, simulation-based training, and computer game technologies to support proactive preventative medicine. The developmental system, called Training and Education Network on Request (TENOR), is a Learning Content Management System designed to create, manage, and distribute learning content.

How it Works

TENOR allows an author to create and integrate two- and three-dimensional (2D/3D) flash and 3D simulation microgames, including performance metrics, and then to distribute the training for student completion. The proof-of-concept game, developed under an Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract, consists of didactic lesson material and three microgames for preventing the contraction of dysentery, which is the number-one cause of non-combat-related deaths. During Phase II, Ontar will advance the development of the dysentery game, as well as create games for substance abuse, sports injury, and self-harm.

An individual trainee completes his or her lesson and is then given a performance score. Once TENOR saves the lesson score for further review, the individual plays the microgame. The microgame is interfaced with TENOR so that the parameters that are measured during the dysentery game are calculated in the TENOR server. At the end of the game, the trainee is given an overall proficiency score with regard to the lesson plan and the microgame.

Ontar also designed the interfaces for game authoring within TENOR. TENOR will interface with Flash development products such as Adobe’s Flex andFlexbuilder for Flash game creation and with simulation development products such as Boston Dynamics’ DI Guy Simulation software. An interface will be developed that will call upon the desired game design product to allow the author to create a microgame from within that system. This interface allows the game to be added to a didactic training lesson or played on its own from within the TENOR system (or outside of it).

TENOR will allow the military services to distribute microgames to handheld devices (iPod, Blackberry, Nintendo Wii, etc.) that are able to connect to Web browsers. The soldiers will be able to play the microgames during downtime while they are on deployment. Moreover, the simulations will provide the soldier with update information and protocols to avoid coming in contact with dysentery, while maintaining a good, healthy relationship with the local communities in the overseas deployment areas.

Where it Stands

This SBIR project is advancing Ontar’s capabilities in several technologies, including game development, simulation, and computer graphics. These technologies will significantly enhance several of the firm’s commercial products.

More Information

For more information on Ontar’s training software, visit http://info.hotims.com/28058-515 

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