With Magic Leap Valued at $4.5B, What’s Impossible for AR in Medical Education?
Recently, a set of stunning images has gone viral. How popular are they? Read on to find out ↓↓↓
A massive whale leaps out of the stadium field.
Sharks Swimming on the Table
Daydreams on the Beach
...These vision-deceiving technologies are rumored to originate from a mysterious company called Magic Leap.According to data from crunchbase.com, this time last year, it secured $542 million in funding led by Google. That’s not all; recent reports indicate that it is on the verge of closing a new round of financing worth $1 billion, which will propel the company’s valuation to $4.5 billion!You may not be familiar with Magic Leap, but you have likely heard of Microsoft’s HoloLens, Oculus (acquired by Facebook for $2 billion last July), and Sony’s PS VR. Although these technologies have only gradually gained public attention in recent years, research abroad has been ongoing for approximately 50 years, with applications spanning entertainment, psychology, medicine, education, and more.As an emerging discipline, virtual reality is also garnering significant attention for its applications in medicine.
According to statistics from as early as 1993, 49 out of the 805 virtual reality (VR) application systems available on the global market were applied in medicine, primarily in areas such as virtual human bodies, medical imaging, and drug molecule research.Currently, applications have expanded to fields including medical education, virtual surgical procedures, and telemedicine. Furthermore, a report released by Digi-Capital in early April this year indicates that VR has the potential to reach a $30 billion market by 2020.In this article, we will focus on one branch of VR applications in the medical field: medical education.It is well known that traditional medical education, such as anatomical dissection of human cadavers and various surgical training exercises, is constrained by factors like the availability of specimens and facilities, resulting in high training costs. Meanwhile, medical students cannot improve their clinical practical skills by repeatedly performing procedures on patients due to the significant risks associated with clinical practice.The intuitive and immersive characteristics of VR can effectively address these issues. According to an analysis by VCBeat, current prominent applications in medical education include virtual human anatomy, surgical training, virtual laboratories, and virtual hospitals. The industry categories span content, software, and hardware, with some companies engaged in cross-disciplinary R&D. For instance, Oculus has ventured into content, hardware, and software, while Microsoft’s HoloLens represents an integration of both hardware and software.
Below are examples categorized for better understanding.Virtual Human AnatomyTraditional anatomical charts and most multimedia courseware utilize two-dimensional (2D) teaching images, which lack intuitive, three-dimensional (3D) experiences, thereby posing challenges to anatomical learning. Although physical models and specimens possess 3D structures, their forms are monolithic and rigid, failing to meet the teaching and practical training needs for multi-angle and multi-layered observation.Virtual human anatomy allows for the simultaneous display of the anatomical structures of human tissues and organs along with their cross-sectional anatomy. It supports arbitrary rotation, providing accurate spatial localization within the human body, 3D measurement data, and stereoscopic images of organs or structures.·HoloLens(Click for a surprise)This is a collaborative project between Microsoft and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which utilizes HoloLens for anatomy instruction and addresses related issues in human medicine.
HoloLens displays medical models of the human body, covering all aspects of human anatomy. In practice, incorporating HoloLens into medical education makes learning far more vivid than relying solely on textbooks and computer screens.However, the limited field of view (FOV) of HoloLens, a long-standing criticism from the outside world, significantly restricts its utility in medical teaching and substantially diminishes the learning experience. Microsoft currently aims to resolve this issue by the end of the year.·zSpaceA tablet developed by Infinite Z of California, USA, that supports 3D stereoscopic visualization and interaction.This 3D display technology, known as zSpace, is a display system comprising a 3D tablet, an infrared stylus, and 3D stereoscopic glasses. Using this system, users can manipulate images displayed on the tablet with the infrared stylus, moving them into the space beyond the screen, thereby breaking free from the constraints of the tablet’s physical display.The company currently offers two solutions: the zSpace Display and the zSpace 200 Virtual Reality Display.▍zSpace Display
It can track users' head rotations and hand movements, adjusting the 3D images they see in real time. Its primary application areas include STEM education, medical training, and corporate training.▍zSpace200 Virtual Reality Display
Head Tracking—Adjusts in response to changes in eye position within the tracking zone, thereby ensuring ocular comfort.
Interaction—The tracking camera enables the stylus to interact with any unknown virtual objects within the tracking area.
Adjustable Viewing Angles—The integrated monitor stand offers three angles: 30°, 45°, and 60°.
Another noteworthy point is that Western University has partnered with the virtual reality company InfiniteZ to establish a virtual anatomy laboratory, immersing students in a holographic 3D environment. This setup allows students to interact with virtual objects while communicating with their peers in the real world, all without the need for virtual reality headsets.Surgical Virtual Training SystemStatistical data indicate that 80% of errors in clinical surgeries are caused by human error, making surgical training critically important for the development of young surgeons. Through virtual surgery systems, physicians can observe expert surgical procedures and engage in repetitive practice. This significantly reduces surgical training time and decreases the reliance on expensive experimental subjects. Furthermore, performing surgeries in a virtual environment prevents serious adverse events and enhances physicians’ collaborative capabilities.·Oculus RiftA virtual reality headset. The product’s developer, Oculus VR, was founded just three years ago. The Oculus Rift aims to create immersive environments, thereby delivering a completely new video gaming experience.
Furthermore, it can record surgical procedures, allowing students to observe the entire process from the perspective of the lead surgeon. It also facilitates convenient review of surgical details, with operations such as pause, fast-forward, and rewind.
The Oculus Rift raised over $1 million on Kickstarter within just three days of its launch. A mere two years later, Facebook acquired the company for $2 billion. Although the company had not initially considered using this product for medical education, Facebook stated that Oculus would become a platform akin to the smartphone.·Next GalaxyIn mid-August, Next Galaxy partnered with Miami Children's Hospital to develop a virtual reality software for medical guidance, aimed at helping healthcare professionals better master cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), nasogastric tube insertion, intubation, wound care, and the Heimlich maneuver.
Furthermore, Next Galaxy has partnered with numerous hospitals, clinics, rescue centers, and medical schools to develop a range of virtual reality (VR) educational programs. Notably, VR training modules for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver are scheduled for public release in the fourth quarter of this year. These applications will be available for download on iTunes and Google Play at a price of $4.99 each.Additionally, the company offers other VR training systems, including those for general surgical procedures, lumbar (epidural) puncture, venipuncture, and ophthalmic surgery.Virtual LaboratoryIn such laboratories, students enjoy substantial autonomy in conducting experiments, enabling the simulation of various practical experimental scenarios—including those that are invisible, intangible, inaccessible, or highly hazardous—as well as hypothetical experimental settings. Many experiments in medical education and clinically relevant procedures can be performed within virtual laboratories.Currently, representative international medical virtual laboratories include the Cardiology Lab and Neurophysiology Lab developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
HHMI vitual Cardiology Lab
The Coleman Lab at the University of California has also developed EXP, a versatile software based on virtual reality for neurophysiological virtual experiments.·MUVE Market Virtual Patient Care Simulation Lab
Built on Second Life (an online game, social network, and web-based platform), this tool aims to provide medical experts with a virtual training and educational environment. The MUVE (Multi-User Virtual Environment) can be controlled by users, allowing for parameter adjustments based on different medication dosages and patient care tools.Virtual HospitalBy digitizing information from medical experts, we lower the barriers to accessing medical knowledge, facilitating access for healthcare providers at points of care and other stakeholders, such as patients. The virtual hospital is divided into sections including patient portals, healthcare professional portals, and administrative portals, which can be used for virtual training exercises.·Virtual Neurological Education CentreA virtual training environment for the training and demonstration of neurological diseases.
·Neuro Touch CranioAt the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University in Canada, the NeuroTouch Cranio—regarded as one of the world’s most advanced neurosurgical tools—is being utilized. This system enables neurosurgeons to simulate complex surgical procedures without involving patients.
This technology enables physicians to experience haptic feedback akin to holding surgical instruments during actual procedures. The device also incorporates a screen that displays vivid simulations of brain tumors, while simultaneously modeling the surgical instruments and the effects of operating on the tumor and surrounding tissues.This simulator is currently undergoing training-related research and is expected to be fully implemented in professional neurosurgical training within a few years.To date, due to the specialized nature of medical practice, the widespread application of virtual reality (VR) technology in education remains constrained by various factors, such as technological immaturity and the high cost of hardware. Nevertheless, it is certain that VR will become the most promising “star” technology in medical education, and indeed in the broader educational sector, following the eras of printed materials, blackboards, multimedia, and computers.