Vianez, AnaVeloso Gomes, PauloMarques, AntónioPereira, JavierPereira, GonçaloLourenço, Yuri2026-09-142026-09-142025Vianez, A., Gomes, P. V., Marques, A., Pereira-Loureiro, J., Pereira, G., & Lourenço, Y. (2026). CARE-XR: Saving Lives in Combat Environments with a Virtual Reality Framework. In Proceedings XoveTIC 2025: Impulsando el talento científico (pp. 295-302). Servizo de Publicacións UDC. https://doi.org/10.17979/spu.23.c48978-84-9749-925-5https://hdl.handle.net/2183/49227Presentado en: VIII Congreso Xove TIC: impulsando el talento científico. Octubre, 2025, A Coruña.[Abstract] The CARE-XR project (Combat Aid \& Response Environment – Extended Reality) presents a practitioner-driven framework for immersive training in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3). Grounded in evidence from a prior systematic review and a Delphi study with Portuguese Special Operations Forces (SOF), CARE-XR combines XR technologies with bio-adaptive affective computing and participatory co-design to address operational needs for realism, adaptability, feedback, and teamwork. The manuscript outlines a phased development process, needs assessment, iterative co-design with SOF, and validation planning, and details the technical components: XR headsets, biofeedback wearables, haptic devices, authoring tools, affective algorithms and simulation management systems. Rather than presenting an efficacy trial, this work is framed as a design and analysis contribution, articulating design requirements, system architecture and ethical considerations. In practical terms, CARE-XR lays the groundwork for a modular and scalable foundation to evaluate transfer of TC3 skills and stress-regulation to live operational contexts.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Extended reality (XR)Tactical combat casualty care (TC3)Affective computingMilitary medical trainingParticipatory co-designconference outputopen access10.17979/spu.23.c48