In the world, the majority of labor accidents are the result of one or several actions that can be identified and controlled, for example, overconfidence or unsafe acts and the misuse of tools are one of the many causes. of accidents at work. Hits against objects; falls; slips; muscle overexertion and poor contact with toolsare some of the most frequent causes that workers experience.
Despite the fact that in Colombia Resolution 4927 of 2016 establishes the parameters and requirements to develop, certify and register virtual training in the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systemwithin the latest report delivered by the Occupational Safety and Health Observatory, it was found that in the first half of 2022 there were 111,396 work accidents, that is, an average of 1,252 per day.
These occupational risks that happen every day became the mission and work of Diego Fernando Ramírez, a Colombian businessman who created WayGroup, a company that in 2019 decided to integrate technologies in the best Silicon Valley style, but made in the country. and developed immersive virtual reality simulators with haptic integrations for occupational risk prevention. Today, these solutions have saved the lives of more than 700,000 people.
Haptics is the science that is in charge of studying the sense of touch, that is, the information that our brain receives and comes from the active and voluntary manipulation of objects within an environment. In this case, through the use of different technologies such as virtual reality, it is possible to perceive the presence of three-dimensional objects in a virtual environment, as if everything were real.
“Traditionally, various strategies have been used in the prevention of occupational risks to avoid accidents and deaths at work that do not generate a real impact on people, for this reason, we found that immersive virtual reality simulators with haptic integrations make use of the touch, vision and listening to recreate dangerous scenarios in different work environments, which makes it easier and more precise to teach about the mistakes that are made, so that they are recorded in their memory and that it does not happen again ”, Ramirez noted.
These simulators are being created by engineers, programmers, 3D, sound, video, and audio designers, among other Colombian professionals from universities such as the Pontificia Bolivariana, EAFIT, and SENA. They have already been recognized on several occasions and under a model of ‘renting’ are being used by more than 584 companies from different sectors such as transportation, mining, education, construction, among others, or public and private organizations.
And it is that several studies have already indicated that the main advantages of using virtual reality for training or immersive learning, are based on the idea of creating a direct emotional connection, facilitating learning and associating events, receiving more information in less time. In addition, they help to simulate dangerous or very expensive situations that are not possible in reality and generate fewer mistakes after Virtual Reality training. The CEO of WayGroup even ensures that errors in the operation of equipment are reduced by an average of close to 85%.
His work also led to the export of this type of technology to other countries, one of the most recent projects being the one carried out with the National Mining Agency of Spain, where they seek to train miners in CPR or with the Mutual de Seguros in Chile, in different experiences. In addition, they have also reached other destinations such as Brazil or Mexico.
“This initiative is a great example of how innovation and entrepreneurship can contribute to the economic and social development of a country, and demonstrate how it is possible to create innovative solutions to complex problems that affect companies and society in general. Without a doubt, it is an initiative that should be recognized and supported by all those interested in progress and innovation in Colombia and in the world”, Ramirez says.
Now, the objective of this Colombian company is to develop simulators for industries such as agriculture, aeronautics, and construction or mining, especially for handling heavy machinery. At the same time, they are working on a technology that will allow several simulators to be connected in the same environment, so that the integration and learning from different areas is done together with several people.
