Johns Hopkins APL to Use Virtual Reality for Prosthetics Education of Wounded Warriors’ Children

The Office of Naval Research has awarded Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory a $375,000 grant to teach the children of wounded soldiers about prosthetics with the use of virtual reality.

APL will also provide hands-on demonstrations for elementary, middle and high school students to help draw their interest in science, technology, engineering and math subjects under the Connecting STEM Outreach Now Using VIE Education for Youth program, the lab said Monday.

The program aims to educate children about topics such as biology and engineering and make use of a modified version of a virtual training platform APL built to help amputees operate a modular prosthetic limb.

“Our objective is to use the virtual training platform to enhance each child’s understanding of how STEM concepts and products are being used to enable personal independence, mobility, and human interaction for their loved ones,” said Dwight Carr, APL STEM program manager.

The grant also calls for the lab to develop technology, curriculum as well as conduct workshops geared toward STEM activities and instruction for one year.