Orlando-based medical simulation company, SIMETRI, was recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to design and develop, and eventually commercialize a medical training device for shoulder dislocation and treatment. The Joint Articulation and Reduction Simulator (JAARS) Phase I contract was awarded March 19, 2018.

SIMETRI president and CEO, Angela Albán said: “When a joint is exposed to an unhealthy amount of force or rotation, it can be dislocated from its socket, causing pain and loss of functionality. This type of injury is very common in populations with a high rate of physical activity, especially within the military. Although the injury can be easily diagnosed and can be fixed by a procedure called a closed reduction, the market lacks a high-fidelity simulator that enables learners to have multiple opportunities for skill practice.”

When complete, the JAARS will integrate with existing commercial manikin technology used by the military, healthcare professionals, and first responders, and will present multiple dislocation scenarios. The device will use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and 3D printed components with embedded sensors to provide student performance feedback as well as consumable expenditure data.

Ed Stadler, SIMETRI’s chief engineer added: “One of the most important aspects of any training device, or training in general, is the feedback the student receives on the way they perform their skill. Currently that training primarily consists of lectures and watching an experienced clinician perform the technique on a live patient. That way of learning doesn’t give the student enough hands-on opportunities, and of course, without the chance to practice those skills, it doesn’t afford them valuable information for improvement or mastering the skill.”

Plans for Phase I include a partial body manikin with shoulder dislocation and treatment technology. Complementary to simulating the dislocated bones, JAARS will simulate the symptoms for dislocated joints, which include swelling, numbness, weakness, and bruising. To ensure success, SIMETRI has teamed with several subcontractors and subject matter experts who have specific expertise to augment SIMETRI’s core capabilities, including Aptima and University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio (UTHSCSA).

ABOUT SIMETRI
SIMETRI, Inc. is a woman-and-minority-owned small business that develops creative, realistic technologies to improve medical outcomes. Founded in 2009 and located just outside of Orlando, Florida, the nation’s capital for modeling, simulation, and training, SIMETRI offers end-to-end training solutions that are conceptualized, researched, developed, and manufactured in an on-site laboratory.