LifesaverSIM: A Game-Based Simulator at the Defense Technology Exhibition

From May 21 to 23, Japan hosted a large-scale defense event — the DSEI Japan defense technology exhibition. This event brought together more than 250 companies and defense institutions representatives across 40 countries. Among the participants were the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, and many others. This year, for the first time in the history of the event, Ukraine officially joined this distinguished community — a historic milestone for our country and its defense industry.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by the Brave1 defense technology cluster and included representatives from six companies in the defense sector. Among these were developers of software and hardware for combat drones, creators of real-time situational awareness and geospatial intelligence systems, as well as the team behind LifesaverSIM, a member of the Lviv IT Cluster.

LifesaverSIM is a mobile game-based simulator for tactical medicine and first aid, which uses interactive scenarios to teach life-saving skills. The application was developed with the goal of making tactical medicine training modern, effective, and accessible to everyone. Its game-based format allows both military personnel and civilians to master critical skills, practice in a safe environment, and reinforce their knowledge through interactive simulations. Repeated practice helps users hone their actions to the point of automation, ensuring calm and confident responses under stress. Gamification makes this repetition more engaging and motivating. In the current reality of Ukraine, this kind of knowledge is relevant to everyone — and the right action at the right moment can save a life.

A day before the exhibition, a dedicated press conference was held for the Ukrainian delegation to present their products to the international audience and highlight their work in greater detail.

“The world is watching Ukrainian defense products closely because they’ve already proven their effectiveness in real combat,” says Olesia Diachyshyn, co-founder of the project. “We saw this clearly at DSEI Japan — we were constantly approached by international delegates who showed genuine interest in our simulator. The most enthusiastic feedback came from people involved in military training, both in the Armed Forces and in military educational institutions. We’re hopeful for productive partnerships going forward.”

Ukraine’s participation in DSEI Japan 2025 was made possible thanks to a partnership between Brave1 and Rakuten Group, a leading Japan-based technology company. This marks the first step in a long-term collaboration aimed at helping Ukrainian defense products enter the Japanese market.