vr medicine

U.S. Space Force Turns To VR For Medical Training

January 13, 2023 From vrscout

The program will run on the HTC VIVE Focus 3 VR headset.

VR medical simulation platform SimX today announced that its Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program has been selected by the United States Space Force to design an immersive training program for astronaut recovery and space launch missions.

The US government agency will commit an initial $1.7 million USD towards the integration of various space components and medical scenarios based on the Pre-Hospital Space Medicine Care Course (PHSMCC) into the SimX Virtual Reality Medical Simulation System (VRMSS). This includes ocean personnel recovery missions, such as the one depicted in the image below.

Credit: U.S. Airforce, Airman 1st Class Dwane Young, Nellis AFB

“The mission of the VALOR program is to adapt VR medical simulation training to enable high-quality, repeatable, and accessible clinical training for any scenario,” said Karthik V Sarma, PhD, VALOR Principal Investigator and SimX CTO in an official release. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to take the VRMSS to the next frontier by helping the DOD’s elite medical personnel protect the health of our astronauts and space launch personnel.”

The virtual training program is being developed in collaboration with and tested alongside the USAF 24th Special Operations Wing and 1st Air Force, Detachment 3, Human Space Flight Support Operations, and will run on the HTC VIVE Focus 3 wireless VR headset. According to SimX, the program will enable more frequent and effective training for Combat Rescue Officers, flight surgeons, and Pararescuemen.

“The mission impact of this project will be increased overall medical capability for global rescue forces responding to Human Space Flight contingency landings,” added Brent Maney of the Department of Defense Human Space Fight Support Office. “These capabilities are critical for ensuring the highest standard of care is provided by our PJs as they prepare for the continued expansion of Human Space Flight operations.”

Moving forward, the company will continue to expand the program with additional scenarios to accommodate the growing commercial space flight sector.

Feature Image Credit: SimX

Rare Conjoined Twin Surgery Aided by VR Training, Bridging the Gap Between Two Continents

August 3, 2022 From roadtovr

Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to life-saving procedures that deal with extreme edge cases like separating conjoined twins. Now a UK-Brazilian team have done just that, which is thanks to detailed planning sessions which allowed the surgical team to model and rehearse the operation in VR from two different continents.

As reported by BBC News, three-year-olds Bernardo and Arthur Lima were born conjoined at the cranium, also know as craniopagus twins.

Now, after seven surgeries, the boys have effectively become the oldest craniopagus twins to have been separated, a process which concluded in a final surgery that lasted 27 hours and involved around 100 medical staff.

Bernardo and Arthur Lima before separation | Image courtesy PA, BBC News

The operation was carried out in Rio de Janeiro with direction from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The planning stage took place over a six-month period which, lead by UK surgeon Dr. Noor ul Owase Jeelani, incorporated models of the twins based on CT and MRI scans which were imported into a program that allowed the Brazilian and UK teams to collaborate in real-time via VR headsets.

“In some ways these operations are considered the hardest of our time, and to do it in virtual reality was just really man-on-Mars stuff,” said Dr. Jeelani.

Bernardo and Arthur Lima after separation | Image courtesy PA, BBC News

Gemini Untwined, the charity founded by Dr. Jeelani, dubbed it “one of the most complex separation processes ever completed.”

“It’s a near impossible task [separating craniopagus twins] that requires a lot of thinking, a lot of planning, and when the final execution happens and you end up with two live kids that are making a good recovery is a great experience.” Dr. Jeelani said in a BBC interview.

Arthur and Bernardo will be celebrating their 4th birthday next month, and are making what Dr. Jeelani says is “an excellent recovery.”

Hologram Patients Allow Doctors To Train Anytime, Anywhere

June 30, 2022 From vrscout

Elegant training for a more civilized age.

It’s no secret that medical training is an expensive and time-consuming process. Thanks to immersive technology, however, healthcare centers around the world are capable of training doctors, therapists, and surgeons at a faster rate while spending less.

GigXR is one such company using cutting-edge immersive technology to train the next generation of medical professionals with its Gig Immersive Learning Platform. Powered by mixed reality devices like the Microsoft HoloLens 2, the platform uses mixed reality technology to project interactive hologram patients over the real world, offering students a way to hone their skills at home or in the simulation lab.

“Mixed reality is increasingly recognized as a useful method of simulator training. As institutions scale procurement, the demand for platforms that offer utility and ease of mixed reality learning management is rapidly expanding,” said Arun Gupta, Director of Postgraduate Education, Cambridge University Health Partnership.

“GigXR has already enabled instructors to better prepare learners with medically accurate simulation for observation and assessment. With HoloScenarios, we’re helping to evolve education from a mentorship-based model to one where students around the world can have equal access to top-flight expertise for mastering invention-based clinical skills.”

Available now for purchase, Gig XR’s HoloScenarios was developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust. The first set of conditions focuses on respiratory conditions, including asthma, anaphylaxis, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonia scenarios.

Users assist holographic patients throughout the entirety of their healthcare journey, from diagnosis to appropriate intervention and everything in between.

Their performance is monitored by the platform in real-time, offering instant feedback. Instructors can also adjust the settings and update the difficulty for each and every scenario.

“Mixed reality is an excellent way to train. It’s incredibly intuitive. We’ve put customers in apps like HoloScenarios and they ‘just go’ – the experience is instinctual because you simply use your hands and the holograms superimpose over the real world in a way where they look like the real devices, patients or anatomical structures,” said Jared Mermey, CEO at GigXR.

“So our goal is simple: make it easier to create, deliver, and implement more high-quality mixed reality across the spectrum of healthcare teaching and training.”

As previously mentioned, GigXR’s HoloScenarios currently features several respiratory conditions with implementation scheduled for this Fall. According to the company, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Neurology modules will be available later this year. For more information visit here.

Image Credit: GigXR