The Resuscitation Council (UK) today released Lifesaver VR, their new interactive life-saving app, to teach people what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest. Lifesaver VR invites people into a time-critical situation and to make decisions while learning to save a life. This unique and useful app can be downloaded for iPhone and Android and has a linear version for browser use.
Lifesaver VR is a free app designed to teach effective CPR skills and provide people with the confidence to use them in an emergency situation. It is an engaging and immersive virtual reality film-in-a-game that allows the viewer to step into a life or death situation and learn crucial life-saving skills. It provides CPR instructions and feedback, and shows the ease of using a defibrillator to boost learning and confidence in saving lives. The app is suitable for everyone, but the teen-based scenario will appeal to young people in particular.
Dr. Andy Lockey, Honorary Secretary, Resuscitation Council (UK) says: “Lifesaver continues to be a revolution in terms of easy access, free, ‘app’ based education for these essential life-saving skills. Lifesaver VR takes this to the next level and utilises cutting edge technology to deliver an even more realistic experience.”
This is the latest innovation in the Lifesaver family of educational life-saving apps. The original Lifesaver app is currently on display in the Wellcome Collection’s Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? Exhibition.
Around 60,000 people in the UK have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year. Less than 10% of these people will survive. If CPR is started early, it can double the person’s chances of survival. The more people educated in crucial life-saving techniques, the more people will survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the future.
To play the game, you interactively control the reactions of Harry’s friend Chloe using your VR headset. The game begins in VR cinema format and then enters full 360 video as you perform CPR by pushing down on a firm cushion. The VR headset senses your movements, and gives you feedback on your performance. It’s up to you to make sure Harry survives his cardiac arrest.
Dr. Jasmeet Soar, Executive Committee, Resuscitation Council (UK) adds: “Lifesaver VR is a great new way to learn CPR. It’s exciting and adds an extra dimension to CPR training. It will help more people learn CPR and help save more lives.”
This new scenario has also been added to the original Lifesaver app, which now has four different linear scenarios, including choking. The original Lifesaver has seen over 700,000 people trained in CPR since its launch in 2013. Lifesaver has been awarded four Gold and one Silver e-learning awards and a People’s Voice Webby in the Education and Reference (handheld devices) category. It has also saved a life.
Lifesaver VR is written and directed by BAFTA winner Martin Percy and brought to life by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and award-winning production company UNIT9.
Martin Percy, says: “Lifesaver is a call to action to health educators and funders worldwide. Better health education saves lives. Lifesaver VR shows how.”
Federico Moscogiuri, Chief Executive Officer, Resuscitation Council (UK) adds :“Any one of us can suddenly find ourselves in an emergency situation. Lifesaver VR makes it easy, and fun, to learn the basic skills that could one day save someone’s life.”
The Lifesaver VR app is available through iTunes and Google Play for iPhone and Android phones and from visiting http://lifesavervr.org.uk. Lifesaver, the non-virtual reality option, is also available for download through iTunes and Google Play, and can be played in a web browser by visiting https://www.resus.org.uk/apps/lifesaver/and http://lifesaver.org.uk.
