Strategic Operations in Kearny Mesa, which is located on the Stu Segall Studio lot, has created the "Human Worn Partial Task Surgical Simulator." They call it the "Cut Suit" for short.
"Basically… it’s a device that fits over a human being," said Kit Lavell, the executive vice president for Strategic Operations.
The Cut Suit is a rubber-like outfit torso that an actor can wear. The torso contains organs, bones and blood.
"They could be sutured," said Lavell. "They could be stapled. The skin is very realistic when you touch it."
Corpsmen can perform actual medical procedures on the actor wearing the Cut Suit. On Tuesday, 10News was allowed to watch as Navy and Marine corpsmen were put through a simulated insurgent attack in a mock Afghanistan village at Strategic Operations.
Rocket propelled grenades were launched. Rifles were filed. The actors were "injured" and the corpsmen cared for them.
"It adds a level of realism that is going to help these corpsmen out in the future," said USN Chief Chad McFall.
The real war simulation created the stress levels needed to simulate the actual battlefield conditions the corpsmen will be working in.
"We try to give them the same sense of urgency and the same fear," said McFall.
Navy Corpsman Jeremy Money said, "If I can get stressed out enough and be able to perform under high amounts of stress when my heart rate’s going about 220 out there, I’ll be able to do the same thing. Just go back to the basics."
The Cut Suit can be reused over and over again. It costs the military less than $1,000 a day to practice with the suit, the blood and the actor.