Author: Monica Robins

Published: 4:38 PM EST January 31, 2025

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Clinic and Microsoft have developed an innovative augmented reality system that could revolutionize how the military assesses service members' readiness to return to duty following concussions or other traumatic brain injuries.

The system, which at first glance resembles a video game, incorporates a modified M4 machine gun that provides realistic recoil feedback and uses Microsoft's HoloLens2 AR platform to create immersive training scenarios.

"We're creating something called the 'Performance Pentagon,'" explained Dr. Jay Alberts, the Cleveland Clinic researcher leading the project. "The tasks we have them do are very specific in terms of motor function and cognitive function. If they have a decline, we can potentially direct them to appropriate specialists — whether that's a speech therapist for information processing or a physical therapist for balance issues. We're not just waiting and hoping; we're making the recovery process more prescriptive."

Real-world combat scenarios in virtual space

One of the system's key features is a room-breach simulation, where service members must make split-second decisions about potential threats and hostages. The technology tracks various metrics, including:

• Time spent in high-risk areas like doorways.
• Decision-making speed and accuracy.
• Team communication effectiveness.
• Movement patterns and response times.

"We can play that back to the commanding officer and the individual," Alberts told 3News. "If they're pausing too long in dangerous areas, or their information processing isn't where it needs to be, we can identify that clearly now."

Beyond military applications

While the Department of Defense-funded research primarily focuses on military applications, Alberts sees broader potential.

"With just a few tweaks, we could adapt this for athletics within a year or two," he said. "The constructs we're evaluating apply not just to athletics, but also to police, fire, and first responders — all areas we're exploring for future implementation."

The project, formally known as "Troop READY," has already completed its first stage of testing with 157 healthy service members at Fort Moore, Georgia. The next phase will include both healthy individuals and those recovering from concussions, marking a crucial step toward potential military-wide implementation.

This technology represents a significant advance in concussion recovery assessment, replacing subjective evaluation methods with data-driven decisions that could ultimately save lives by ensuring service members return to duty only when truly ready. Eventually, the device can also be converted for use to help first responders like firefighters and police officers, as well as athletes, down the road.