Military leaders from around the country recently gathered in Orlando to look at the most sophisticated simulation equipment to improve military skills.

From flight simulators, to virtual war games, to high-tech gadgets and gizmos, it's all designed to give our military the technological winning edge. But one simulator also teaches them how to save lives.

His flesh is latex, his vital organs electronic, and he's powered by a computer. He's the closest thing to a real wounded soldier that other soldiers will see before they head off to war.

"What we have here is a virtual patient simulator," said project manager Debra Marsden. "This is what the army has chosen for our medical simulation training centers that we are setting up at 18 installations worldwide."

The medical robot has the type of injuries a soldier might suffer in the explosion of a roadside bomb. He's missing a leg. His arm is badly burned. He has a sucking chest wound. And he's losing blood fast.

In a real war zone, if there's no fully trained paramedic on hand, whether a soldier lives or dies may depend on the skill and the knowledge of the closest soldier to him.

Lt. Col Scott Pulford said the training isn't just for medics. "We call these soldiers combat life savers and we want every soldier to have some training."

In simulation exercises, soldiers come under attack. Their robotic colleague is wounded, and they must pull him to safety. Then, it's triage and treat the wounds until you can get the soldier more comprehensive care.

Making sure real soldiers get to practice on the life like simulator, helps assure more of them will make it home alive.

The kind of treatment a soldier gets in the first ten minutes after an attack has the greatest impact on his or her fate. It's known as the "platinum ten minutes."

Military officials hope the new soldier simulators will make sure those ten minutes really count.

Video