Many educational institutions have developed Clinical Skills and Simulation Centres providing advanced facilities for Health, Social Care and Medicine training. Students use the facilities to learn necessary skills and take part in a range of simulation scenarios. These scenarios are designed to replicate real-world conditions and enable situations that might be encountered when qualified to be safely practised.

We have been working on the design of the AV and simulation management systems for these spaces for some years and have completed many successful projects.

Historically two separate systems would be installed: one for the general teaching AV and a second for the audio and video recording as part of the simulation management system.

Our solutions have been developed to combine these into one system resulting in reduced cost and improved flexibility and ease of use. We install one set of cameras and one set of audio sources and microphones, which are then centrally controlled and distributed to the teaching AV system and to the simulation management system.

This enables and source to be replayed or recorded on either system with levels and control of cameras managed via touch screens as part of the AV system. Having one system improves echo cancellation and gives total flexibility.

Designs vary depending on the needs of the users, but usually include a touch screen mounted over each bed bay that can be driven from a local PC, the manikin in the bed for vital signs or sent a signal from the central matrix. Thus students can work around a particular bed, but also collaborate with other students or the main teaching position. The screens are mounted on a flexible arm enabling them to be positioned central to the bed or pulled to one side for touch screen operation.

Beam steering microphone arrays are often installed in the ceiling, providing controlled audio pick-up over the whole area, with directional microphones over each bed bay creating a more definted pick-up area.

A range of digital and optical PTZ cameras provide a view above each bed bay and general views of the room and also the teaching position for lecture capture.