Zhonghui Technology Secures Tens of Millions in Pre-A Funding to Advance VR+AI-Powered Virtual Human and Surgical Simulation Platforms

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on August 19, coinciding with the inaugural Chinese Doctors’ Day, Beijing Zhonghui Virtual Reality Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zhonghui Tech”) announced the completion of its Pre-A financing round, amounting to tens of millions of RMB. The round was led by Jinke Junchuang, with Kexin Capital participating as a co-investor. The proceeds will primarily be used for recruiting high-end talent, optimizing product portfolios, and expanding into domestic and international markets.

Zhonghui Technology, established in September 2016, is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the application and promotion of virtual reality (VR) technology in the healthcare industry. Primarily addressing the needs of medical personnel in hospitals and medical schools for practical training in operational skills and enhancement of surgical capabilities, the company provides a series of VR-based surgical simulator hardware and software products, comprehensive solutions, and internet-enabled value-added services.

The prevailing “1.0-era” model of clinical procedural skills training in medicine relies heavily on animals, cadavers, and physical simulators, and suffers from prominent drawbacks such as high costs, poor specificity, and difficulties in evaluating training outcomes. Consequently, the entire healthcare industry is eager for advances in technology to provide new supporting platforms and novel technical means for medical procedural skills training.

A large body of academic research published internationally over the past two years indicates that advanced technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively address a range of prominent challenges in clinical medicine. In particular, they offer novel solutions for surgical simulation planning, digital rehearsal of surgical procedures, research and development trials of new surgical techniques, and simulated surgical training. The fundamental technical approach involves first constructing a comprehensive virtual human model encompassing all anatomical and physiological elements, followed by high-precision virtual surgery simulations. The rapid advancement of this technology will undoubtedly accelerate the transition of clinical skills training into the 2.0 era.

Zhonghui Technology accurately grasps the development trends of the aforementioned cutting-edge technologies, closely aligns with the urgent needs of medical education and clinical skills training, and carries out research, development, and promotion of virtual human bodies and surgical simulators, striving to become an international leader in this specialized field.

Zhonghui Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems have established an in-depth industry-academia-research collaboration, facilitating the commercialization of high-level scientific research achievements.

State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems is the only national-level research base in the field of virtual reality in China. It is the earliest national-level research institution in China to comprehensively carry out basic research on virtual reality applications, achievement transformation, and talent cultivation. The laboratory boasts a high-level VR technology team centered on academicians, with Changjiang Scholars and Distinguished Young Scholars as its core members. Its number of VR/AR patent applications ranks first among research institutes worldwide. The laboratory has received more than 10 national-level science and technology awards, including the only First Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award for VR basic software in China, as well as over 20 provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards.

In addition, Zhonghui Technology has appointed Professor Zhao Qinping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems, to establish the Zhonghui Academician Workstation. This initiative leverages the academician’s integrative and coordinating role to provide strategic consulting and technical guidance for industrial and corporate development. By introducing the academician and his team, and integrating them with Zhonghui Technology’s existing research staff, the company is accelerating the construction of a technology innovation system that combines industry, academia, and research, thereby enhancing its independent innovation capability and competitiveness.

Over the past two years since its establishment, Zhonghui Technology has been dedicated to the research, development, and promotion of industry-academia-research applications of virtual reality technology in the medical field. The company holds more than 15 proprietary invention patents and software copyrights, demonstrating its strong R&D capabilities and innovative philosophy.Currently, the UniDental Digital Simulation Training System for Dentistry has been developed as a commercial product, alongside prototype products such as the Laparoscopic Digital Simulation Training System and the PCI Cardiovascular Interventional Surgery Simulator.

UniDental Digital Dental Simulation Training System

UniDental Digital Dental Simulation Training System is the world’s first multifunctional virtual reality dental surgery simulator independently developed in China, featuring integrated visual and haptic feedback. It is primarily used for foundational dental education, surgical skills training, and procedural assessment. The system holds independent intellectual property rights and demonstrates significant technical advantages, including real-time, photorealistic rendering of three-dimensional surgical scenes, and real-time (1000 Hz), high-fidelity haptic feedback that accurately distinguishes the stiffness of skin, tongue, and teeth.

Laparoscopic Digital Simulation Training System

Laparoscopic Surgery Simulator integrates multidisciplinary technologies from virtual reality, human-computer interaction, biomechanics, and clinical medicine. It provides operational training for basic skills in laparoscopic surgery and various typical cases (such as gastrointestinal surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, gynecology, and urology). Currently available functional modules include four fundamental laparoscopic surgical training exercises (moving small objects, cutting, suturing, and ligation), rectal cancer resection, gastric banding surgery, and cholecystectomy.

PCI Cardiovascular Interventional Procedure Simulator

PCI Cardiovascular Interventional Surgery Simulator is the first surgical simulator independently developed in China that supports real-time modeling and simulation based on personalized clinical data. It features distinctive capabilities in dynamic integration of personalized case data, physical behavior simulation of flexible objects, haptic feedback throughout the entire procedure, and 3D realistic rendering with dynamic correlation to clinical imaging. It offers overall advantages in physical, visual, and haptic realism, as well as real-time simulation efficiency.

Zhonghui Technology has established distinct advantages and unique strengths in its R&D team, core technologies, flagship products, and industry-academia-research resources, earning widespread recognition and acclaim. On March 23, 2018, at the inaugural China Virtual Reality Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition—a national-level contest hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology—Zhonghui Technology stood out among hundreds of virtual reality enterprises and teams across China, ultimately securing first place in the national finals.

Over the next three years, Zhonghui Technology will uphold the corporate spirit of “sincerity splits open stone,” striving to create flagship products for virtual reality applications in China and worldwide. The company aims to achieve rapid growth, deliver returns to shareholders, and make meaningful contributions to the advancement of medical technology, medical education, and the virtual reality industry.