London’s Air Ambulance is the charity that delivers an advanced trauma team to London’s most seriously injured patients. By providing intervention as quickly as possible after injury, they give patients the best chance of survival and quality of life after trauma. We were engaged as their technology partner to create a game based learning tool to engage teens in STEM.
London’s Air Ambulance creates resources to raise awareness of their work within schools. They provide opportunities for students to learn about their work through STEM games and activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths). Their aim is to inspire the doctors, paramedics and pilots of the future.
London’s Air Ambulance engaged Milo Creative as their Technology Partner. Our ability to create game-based learning tools that place the learner in the driving seat (no pun intended!) was a perfect fit. London’s Air Ambulance also appointed The Centre Of The Cell to produce the educational content for the STEM game. Centre of The Cell helped us carry out user testing at London schools.
The London’s Air Ambulance simulator game is a unique helicopter flying game called ‘HELIMED’. Players take on the role of pilot, doctor or paramedic in life-saving missions and a race against the clock. People are in trouble and the only way of reaching them is from the air.
The game targets secondary school children aged 11-14. Players need to navigate the London Air Ambulance helicopter and choose a suitable landing spot. They then choose what life-saving treatment to apply to the patient. HELIMED uses video, audio commentary and interactive features. The game exposes children to STEM concepts in a real life, exciting and inspirational context.
HELIMED enables users to understand more about aviation, medical innovation, leadership and teamwork. Whilst playing users experience four virtual life-saving missions based on real-life roadside scenarios that advanced trauma teams attend. Players are tested on a range of subjects including their maths, physics, medical knowledge, and decision-making.
HELIMED includes scenarios where patients have been involved in a road traffic collision, stabbed, or fallen from a height. These are incidents that the London’s Air Ambulance team commonly attend. Players assume roles as our doctors, paramedics or pilots to try and save their lives. They must first decide if the 999 call fits the criteria for automatic dispatch of the advanced trauma team. Next they must use their navigation skills to fly the advanced trauma team to the scene of the
The HELIMED STEM game is at the heart of London's Air Ambulance programme with schools. They are partnering with schools across the capital and the app is supported by lesson plans and teachers’ resources. The app inspires a new generation of enthusiastic, technologically skilled young people in pursuing STEM subjects.
HELIMED provides a STEM educational platform that engages schoolchildren. It provided an innovative resource for teachers by bringing compulsory Key Stage 3 topics to life. By injecting a little fun and excitement into learning through the app, we also hope to inspire future generations to think about pursuing careers in the air ambulance sector, healthcare, aviation or other emergency services – which are incredible yet rewarding career paths.
Dr Gareth Davies, Medical Director at London’s Air Ambulance
The development of the HELIMED app was made possible through funding from the Cisco Foundation. Additional funding towards the project was provided by a United Way Worldwide grant to London’s Air Ambulance.
The app has been downloaded over 8,000 times. In partnership with Centre of the Cell, we’ve successfully used it in schools across London. The game helps us raise awareness for our services among those that are interested.
Philanthropy Manager, London's Air Ambulance Charity
HELIMED was developed as a cross-platform app with Unity, our platform of choice for cross-platform game development. HELIMED is available on mobile & tablet on iOS and Android devices.
A multidisciplinary team was necessary for the creation of HELIMED. We helped with user experience design, game design, illustration, and app development.
