Incorporating haptics to enhance immersive surgical training
Founded in 2012, Fundamental specialises in immersive technology with a focus on haptics and machine learning. In 2019, the company raised $5.6 million to develop its VR platform for medical training.
The renowned Mayo Clinic as well as Germany’s Sana Kliniken participated in the funding round, indicating a strong endorsement from the healthcare community right from FundamentalVR’s early years.
Also, in 2019, FundamentalVR teamed up with HaptX company, which offers haptic gloves for realistic virtual experiences.
Before this, in 2018, the company had raised $2.4 million – in just one year, FundamentalVR’s valuation increased by an impressive 27%.
Following this, in 2020, the company launched a solution called Teaching Space that would allow multiple users to attend a virtual classroom session for interactive lessons and professional collaboration.
Teaching Space works with haptic surgical gloves that the company provides its customers, thanks to its partnership with HaptX.
Today, FundamentalVR is best known for its immersive medical training solution, Fundamental Surgery.
What Are the Key Features of FundamentalVR?
FundamentalVR delivers naturalised learning experiences that replicate real-world healthcare scenarios with incredible accuracy.
Learners can run through different actions and protocols without being physically present at a learning site, without the need for difficult-to-procure equipment, and from the safety of their homes.
Haptic Intelligence Engine
FundamentalVR’s patented technology, the Haptic Intelligence Engine, is what makes its learning experiences so unique. The engine is a software modelling system that recreates high-fidelity physical interactions in a VR environment.
It can deliver full kinesthetic force feedback via a wide range of handheld devices, from instruments to haptic gloves.
@HomeVR for easy setup
One of the biggest challenges for the healthcare sector in the last few quarters has been continuing training and education without overcrowding its already-limited learning spaces.
Fundamental addresses this using an all-in-one headset that bundles the entire learning experience into a single platform.
The learner’s progress is monitored at each surgical step and directly fed into the instructor’s remote dashboard.
Multi-user support
FundamentalVR gives healthcare organisations two options for delivering group learning experiences – multi-user operating rooms, and multi-student classrooms.
You can invite an unlimited number of attendees, and these spaces are accessible via mobile and desktop, in addition to VR headsets.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
FundamentalVR uses AI and machine learning to predict learner outcomes and provide instructors with a deeper understanding of a student’s progress.
The data dashboard monitoring progress at each surgical step, combined with data from the HapticVR™ system, generates a reliable snapshot of learner potential.
What Are the Benefits of Using Fundamental?
The biggest benefit of using FundamentalVR is its unlimited multi-user mode, which lets you invite passive and active participants into any training session – often on demand.
In addition to this, haptic integration really helps to develop a medical professional’s muscle memory without the risks of on-the-job training.
What’s Next for FundamentalVR?
The company is currently working with telecom infrastructure companies to create a 5G-enabled solution.
This would dramatically reduce the computing load needed to render complex 3D environments, making the learning sessions more accessible.
Quelle:
