Ukrainian schoolchildren have developed an augmented reality (AR) app on Unity that instructs users on how to provide first aid through voice or text prompts. With it, they won the Infomatrix international hackathon in Bucharest.
The app, which is still untitled and in its minimum viable product (MVP) stage, provides guidance on how to handle a critical situation without a doctor nearby. It uses augmented reality to show what to do and how to do it.
Among the features of the application is that it works completely online, and if the smartphone does not support augmented reality, it can display simple text prompts for first aid.
The first to start working on the application was Artem Chmyr, a student of the Unity Pro course at Robocode, who was initially helped by two other students. The leader was ninth-grader Dmytro Palamarchuk. Now the team of eight people is completing the development of the MVP to show it to investors at the upcoming conference. Then they will make the necessary changes and prepare for the release of the first version.
Speaking about the development, Palamarchuk noted that the most important technology was augmented reality. It helps with training and testing first aid.
"The most important technology is AR (augmented reality). It helps with training and testing first aid. After hearing, reading, and seeing the visualization, a person will be able to provide assistance, and thanks to AR, they will also be able to check the result by checking it with a 3D model in real time," the student said.
He also noted that in the future, in addition to releasing the application on the App Store and Play Store, the team plans to integrate with non-profit organizations and insurance companies to combine training, insurance, calling an ambulance, and receiving consultations in one application.
Currently, active testing and expansion of functionality is also underway. In particular, at this stage, the ability to visually select a body part in the event of a fracture has appeared. As for testing, it is still being conducted in a regular mode, but the developers plan to conduct a global one - in schools, among friends, parents, and families.
"Global testing of MVP in schools, among friends, parents, and families is planned. I have already checked how the first aid education system works, and I am sure that if we let a large number of children try our application, the result can be much better than regular lessons," says Palamarchuk.
Among the difficulties, the developers mention the use of augmented reality, which is still not widely used. Another problem is more personal - the team consists of teenagers who have school and family matters that can suddenly interrupt work.
Despite the difficulties, the team remains optimistic and wants to create an app that is as close to reality as possible so that people can try it out and leave feedback.
"In real conditions, for example, in the case of arterial bleeding, there are only 2–3 minutes to apply a tourniquet. Such details must be taken into account, otherwise the application will not fulfill its purpose... The ideal application is one that saves people one hundred percent and proves its effectiveness in real conditions. For us, these are lives saved thanks to first aid and training," says the supervisor.