GigXR and the University of Michigan Partner to Develop XR Procedure Training Suite; Provides Hyper-Realistic, Safe-to-Fail Medical Training for Students and Physicians

Mixed Reality procedural application provides instructor-led teaching and training to better prepare students and physicians for real-world clinical experience and improved patient care

LOS ANGELES & ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GigXR, a global provider of eXtended Reality (XR) solutions for instructor-led teaching and training, and the University of Michigan, the #1-ranked public research institution with one of the top hospitals in the United States, announced today a partnership to develop the XR Procedure Training Suite, a training application that uses hyper-realistic holographic patients and mixed reality (MR) visual cues to develop manual and practical skills in preclinical education.

Built to augment task trainers as well as help students and trainees learn a specific procedure before they start practicing the tactile muscle memory, the new holographic training suite can be used with or without a manikin to help guide students through common procedures, to navigate complications and master their manual skills for real-life patient encounters.

“Traditional simulation methods require students to work with lab equipment, such as manikins and task trainers, that is increasingly difficult to access and apply at scale,” said Dr. Mark Cohen, Professor of Surgery, Pharmacology, and Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Medicine, the academical medical center of the University of Michigan. “Mixed reality places the holographic patient right in front of the learner to visualize critical techniques, such as aspirating an abscess and line placement, while still maintaining the collaborative, hands-on experience of standing around the patient with other learners. Being able to safely practice skills and techniques outside of a simulation lab, or in any environment, with high-fidelity, true-to-life XR patients brings tremendous value that could accelerate learner readiness and preparedness for the clinic.”

Unlike manikins, which are often limited in range of simulated conditions, extremely costly for high-fidelity models, and time consuming to set up, the XR Procedure Training Suite leverages GigXR’s cutting-edge ability to create life-like MR learning scenarios that are also incredibly easy to access and deploy.

Learners using the XR Procedure Training Suite will be able to observe a wide variety of patient presentations and train in developing diagnostic skills for various pathologies, such as taking vitals, listening to the patient’s lungs and comparing X-rays and CT scans tests, tests, and even practicing ultrasound, among many more life-like features for evolving scenarios. Instructors can also instantly introduce complications to the scenario like deteriorating vital signs, disease progression, punctured vessels, vomiting, bleeding, procedural complications, pain and more.

“This partnership represents a giant leap forward for the global medical community – doctors, medical students and nurses constantly strive for the highest levels of training to ensure the best patient practice and care when starting clinical hours or residencies,” said David King Lassman, CEO at GigXR. “We’re honored to be working with Dr. Cohen and his team, whose outstanding commitment to research and innovation in medicine and medical education has left a lasting legacy across all areas of medical practice. Introducing XR Procedure Training Suite to the University of Michigan’s medical students and resident trainees will only further prepare its elite future medical force.”

The XR Procedure Training Suite fully immerses students in hyper-realistic clinical scenarios that are safe-to-fail and closely mimics the experience they’d have in a real-world clinical environment. A 2021 systematic review of head-mounted virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and MR devices in medical education found that training with these devices was effective as either a primary or supplementary teaching tool in 93% of the 27 studies reviewed. Learners surveyed, many of whom were medical students or residents, found training with such devices to be motivating and engaging.

“Our goal and impact for creating the XR Procedure Training Suite is not just in accelerating skills development, but in empowering instructors to provide training that results in more efficient and safer patient care that ultimately would lead to improved patient outcomes. We’re thrilled to be among the first to bring this high-level of mixed reality procedural training to our learners and to the world,” added Cohen.

Delivered through GigXR’s Immersive Learning Platform, the XR Procedure Training Suite will serve as an on-demand instructor-led training tool for students, no matter where they are located, and will be accessible on Microsoft’s HoloLens, iOS and Android devices. Instructors will be able to launch lessons quickly, use one-tap QR codes for student logins and repurpose lesson plans with in-lesson notes or comments. This allows both instructors and students to optimize access to the platform and maximize the benefits of collaborative learning within the app.

GigXR is a provider of immersive learning solutions for universities and medical systems spanning five continents. Its flagship products, HoloPatient and HoloHuman, use volumetric video capture and hyper-realistic 3D models to create safe-to-fail environments in which medical and nursing students can practice vital diagnostic, communication and clinical reasoning skills.

GigXR and University of Michigan plan to launch the XR Procedure Training Suite by mid-2022. To learn more about GigXR’s holographic patient training applications and the upcoming XR Procedure Training Suite, email [email protected] or head to GigXR.com. For more information on Michigan Medicine, visit uofmhealth.org.

About GigXR

GigXR is a provider of reality (XR) learning systems for instructor-led teaching and training that enhances learning outcomes for medical and nursing schools, hospitals and higher education and the Department of Defense. GIGXR’s immersive learning system includes a growing catalogue of mixed reality applications that run on a robust platform, designed to break through the limitations of conventional 2D learning resources, by placing true-to-life 3D simulations in a collaborative physical space using the Microsoft HoloLens 2. GIGXR is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with global customers in the US, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the UK. To learn more about GIGXR visit www.gigxr.com.

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Lindsey Henn

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