About
VIRaL was awarded Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding to develop a medical simulation game to help medical students and NCHDs to become 'Hospital Ready' by playing through medically accurate scenarios in an immersive and engaging game.
SIMIR (Simulation + Imirt, Irish for play) is an immersive, gamified digital platform that prepares medical trainees for real-world hospital environments by bridging the gap between theory and practice. Through interactive hospital scenarios, it enhances clinical decision-making while developing critical soft skills like communication, teamwork, and situational awareness. Designed for medical schools, hospitals, and healthcare professionals, SIMIR offers a scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional simulation centres, ensuring trainees gain practical experience without logistical constraints. By focusing on both technical and non-technical competencies, SIMIR helps create “Hospital Ready” graduates who can confidently and competently step into clinical practice from day one.
SIMIR sits at the forefront of digital health, medical education, and gamification, transforming how medical trainees prepare for real-world hospital challenges. By leveraging Role-Playing Game (RPG) mechanics, it immerses users in high-pressure, time-sensitive decision-making and teamwork scenarios within a psychologically safe environment. Through dynamic gameplay loops that integrate feedback, reflection, and progression, SIMIR fosters both clinical expertise and essential soft skills, ensuring trainees develop the competence and confidence to excel in fast-paced healthcare settings. Working with RCSI to develop medical cases and test SIMIR in a real-world deployment, SIMIR is ideally positioned to offer a cutting-edge, scalable solution for medical education.
We are delighted that one of the BioPharmaChem Skillnet collaborative projects has been nominated for a Life Science Industry Award under the Excellence in Health and Safety category. See here for details on our BioPharmaChem collaborative projects: Case Study 1
The Virtual Interaction Laboratory (VIRaL), School of Media, Technological University Dublin.
The Virtual Interaction Laboratory (VIRaL) is a leading-edge research and development centre specialising in spatial computing and mixed reality (MR/AR/VR). Situated within the School of Media at TU Dublin, VIRaL operates at the forefront of immersive technology, working closely with industry and academic partners to design and deploy innovative, real-world solutions.
We focus on applied, co-created research, engaging directly with stakeholders and end users from the earliest stages to ensure our solutions are impactful, relevant, and grounded in practice. Whether collaborating on funded research or industry-led innovation, our process puts people and context at the heart of development.
VIRaL is distinguished by its theoretical and methodological innovation, particularly in how it utilises and applies kinaesthetic learning and situated cognition: grounded theories that emphasise learning through physical action and context-rich experiences.
This approach reduces cognitive distance: the gap between what is learned and how it is applied. By embedding learning content directly within spatially realistic environments, whether fully virtual or layered onto the real world, we enable users to absorb and apply knowledge more intuitively and effectively.
Our lab designs and builds custom MR/VR/AR simulations that empower users to learn by doing, making abstract knowledge tangible through embodied interaction.
VIRaL is led by Dr. Brian Vaughan, an experienced researcher and practitioner in the design and development of immersive and mixed reality applications. With over two decades of experience in digital media, interaction design, and creative technological innovation, Dr. Vaughan brings a rare combination of academic rigour and hands-on development expertise. His leadership ensures that each project delivers a balance of technical innovation, pedagogical depth, and thoughtful design.
Dr. Vaughan has spearheaded numerous funded research initiatives and industry collaborations, producing cutting-edge prototypes and deployable systems across domains such as healthcare training, fire safety training, assistive robotics, and creative education.
Multidisciplinary Expertise, Real-World Impact
Our team combines research and practice across multiple disciplines, including:
- Instructional Design
- Interactive Audio & Sound Design
- Ludology & Gameplay Mechanics
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
- 3D Spatial Design & Simulation Engineering
This broad base of expertise allows us to deliver not just innovative experiences, but robust, scalable solutions aligned with user needs and emerging market demands.
Collaborate With Us
Whether you're a research institution, public sector body, or tech-focused enterprise, VIRaL is a powerful partner for:
- Funded research collaborations (e.g., Horizon Europe, Enterprise Ireland, Research Ireland etc.)
- Industry R&D partnerships for prototyping, testing, and deploying XR applications
- Consultancy and advisory on spatial computing strategy and implementation
We are actively seeking partners who want to explore the future of learning, simulation, and human interaction in spatial computing environments.
To collaborate or learn more, contact us at brian.vaughan [at] tudublin.ie
