Introducing Project MATIS
Project MATIS Is Now Accepting Applications
Project Overview
Project MATIS (Modular Assessment and Treatment Instructor System) is a next-generation medical training manikin designed to improve realism, accessibility, and equity in emergency medical training. Developed by members of the IEEE Student Branch at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MATIS aims to address limitations in current simulation infrastructure used for training emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and other prehospital care providers.
The system introduces a modular patient simulation platform that integrates sensor-based physiological feedback with interchangeable physical components representing diverse patient characteristics. By combining objective performance measurement with realistic patient interaction, MATIS seeks to improve both the quality and fairness of medical training.
Motivation
Emergency medical training relies heavily on simulation. However, several structural limitations exist in current training environments.
First, research has shown that disparities in healthcare outcomes can be influenced by patient characteristics such as gender, skin tone, and body type. For example, studies indicate that women are statistically less likely to receive high-quality CPR or proper AED placement. In addition, certain medical devices, such as pulse oximeters, have demonstrated reduced accuracy across different skin pigmentation levels. These discrepancies highlight the importance of training medical providers to work effectively with diverse patient populations.
Despite this need, training institutions often face budget constraints that limit access to high-fidelity and demographically diverse training manikins. As a result, many programs rely on a small number of standardized models that represent only a narrow subset of patient characteristics.
A second challenge arises from the structure of many training scenarios. In typical simulation exercises, trainees perform assessment and treatment procedures on passive manikins while instructors verbally provide patient updates. This separation between performing skills and receiving patient data disrupts the realism of the scenario. Trainees may complete an assessment only to be told afterward that a critical injury or symptom was present but not physically represented on the manikin. This approach can interrupt clinical reasoning, reduce immersion, and create uncertainty about whether important findings were missed or simply unavailable during the assessment.
Project MATIS was conceived to address both of these challenges by improving representation, realism, and feedback in simulation-based medical training.
System Design
MATIS is designed as a modular patient simulator that combines a shared electronic core with interchangeable external components.
The system consists of a central internal platform containing embedded sensors and electronic control systems. This core supports multiple interchangeable outer shells that represent different genders, skin tones, and body types. Through this modular architecture, a single system can simulate a wide range of patient presentations without requiring multiple complete manikin units.
Within the system, embedded sensors monitor key clinical procedures and physiological interactions. These include measurements such as:
CPR compression depth and rate
Ventilation volume
Airway pressure
Pupil response
Additional physiological indicators relevant to patient assessment
Using these sensors, MATIS generates real-time physiological feedback during training scenarios. Instead of relying solely on instructor narration, trainees can observe symptoms and measure patient responses directly through their assessment and treatment actions. This allows learners to gather patient information through the same processes used in real emergency situations.
At the same time, instructors are able to monitor objective performance data through a digital interface. This interface provides real-time metrics and post-scenario evaluation data, enabling more consistent, transparent, and data-driven assessment of trainee performance.
Through this design, MATIS transforms a traditional passive training manikin into an interactive, responsive patient simulator.
Development Approach
Project MATIS has been developed through collaboration between engineering students, faculty mentors, and practicing emergency medical professionals.
The project team worked closely with a board of faculty advisors as well as experienced prehospital care providers from Orange County EMS and UNC Campus EMS. These collaborators helped identify the practical needs of EMT training programs and guided the development of system requirements.
Based on these discussions, the team established a set of functional requirements covering the full patient assessment process. These include simulation capabilities for the head, torso, and extremities, as well as airway and circulatory systems. The design prioritizes alignment with the way EMTs conduct assessments and make decisions in real-world emergency scenarios.
Project Partners
