GI Faculty Member Dr. John Muñoz Releases First Patent Design

Congratulations to Dr. John Muñoz (Wilfrid Laurier University) who released his first patent on August 27^th! The patent is for a wearable device that monitors a user’s physiological signals like heart rate to then create a virtual reality (VR) training simulation based on their reactions to different situations that may be tense or distressing. The combination of wearable devices and VR is to create a personalized training experience to equip first responders with the knowledge of how to de-escalate dangerous situations.

Invented alongside his colleagues, Chad Stephens, Dr. Alan Pope, Marsha Turner, and Ólafur Pálsson, the patent focuses on enhancing public safety by providing police services with more information on how to de-escalate conflicts. Under the project title “Biocybernetics De-escalation Systems and Methods”, Dr. Muñoz and the team worked on the patent in conjunction with the NASA Langley Research Centre. The project aims to use physiological sensors to detect stress levels and providing police services with real-time strategies on how to approach a situation.

This patent continues Dr. Muñoz’s ongoing research and development of biofeedback sensors that can be seen in his company, Body Interface Labs as well as his work in using virtual reality technologies in new and novel ways, which can be seen on the collaborative research project Seas the Day.