Can VR help save lives? Czech project aims to train 1 million in first aid

Put on a virtual reality headset, encounter an unconscious person and figure out how to save their life. A Czech project is turning first-aid training into an immersive 15-minute experience, and wants to put as many as a million people through it.

VR Rescue, developed in cooperation with the Czech Red Cross and medical experts, combines a virtual emergency with a physical CPR mannequin. An AI-powered assistant guides participants through the situation, evaluates their actions and makes them repeat steps when they make a mistake.

Nearly 100,000 people have already tried the technology. Now, through the #mocPOmoc initiative, organizers are expanding the program into schools, libraries, public offices and other locations across Czechia.

The goal is to make basic first aid something approaching everyday literacy: giving ordinary people enough experience to react rather than freeze when someone collapses.

During the training, participants put on a VR headset and find themselves confronted with a simulated unconscious patient. The experience leads them through assessing the situation and eventually performing CPR on a physical mannequin.

Instead of relying solely on an instructor, the system uses an AI assistant based on procedures developed with the Czech Red Cross and doctors from University Hospital Plzeň.

If participants perform a step incorrectly, the system can send them back and have them try again. And unlike a real emergency, mistakes carry no consequences: the virtual patient cannot die.

Developers hope that makes it easier for participants to overcome one of the biggest barriers to providing first aid: the fear of doing something wrong.

That hesitation can have serious consequences. Pavel Hrdlička, director of the Plzeň Region Emergency Medical Service, told Czech Radio that every minute without assistance following cardiac arrest can reduce a person's chance of survival by 10 to 15 percent.

"The importance of first aid by laypeople is irreplaceable," Hrdlička said.

Around 35,000 people in Czechia face life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke or severe bleeding each year, according to figures cited by the #mocPOmoc initiative. Organizers estimate that faster and more effective first aid could help save up to 2,000 lives annually.

More than 240 Czech schools are set to receive the VR Rescue program free of charge through support from the Czech Insurers' Bureau's Loss Prevention Fund. The Czech Red Cross says nearly 100,000 students across all regions should receive the training within a year.

Plzeň Region has gone further, introducing systematic VR first-aid training for nearly 30,000 secondary school students. The program began in Klatovy, with schools able to train as many as 700 students per week, including during physical education classes.

"The goal is for first-aid skills to be at the level of basic literacy," VR Rescue developer Marek Bárdy told Czech Radio.

The project is also designed to reach adults outside traditional first-aid courses.

Self-service VR Rescue stations are planned for libraries, public offices and science centers, where users will be able to activate the training using a QR code. Organizers are also working with companies, sports clubs and community groups to extend its reach.

The Czech Red Cross says the technology is intended to complement rather than replace conventional first-aid courses.

"We urgently need as many people as possible to be able to react immediately in a crisis," Czech Red Cross Vice President Jana Majrichová told CzechCrunch. "We are glad that we can combine our traditional courses with virtual reality training, because this combination is proving very effective."

The broader ambition is considerably larger than the current school rollout: #mocPOmoc ultimately wants to give 1 million people the basic confidence and skills to respond when someone nearby suffers a life-threatening emergency.

And unlike a textbook or instructional video, VR Rescue puts users in the position they could one day unexpectedly find themselves in: first on the scene, with no medical professional yet there to help. More info can be found at the official VR Rescue website.