September 29 – GigXR, a provider of extended reality (XR) solutions for instructor-led teaching and training, and Elsevier, a global educational publisher and provider of the 3D4Medical human anatomy platform, have today announced expanded immersive learning capabilities for HoloHuman, a mixed reality (MR) anatomy application that empowers instructors in providing students with holographic learning environments.
Purpose-built to simplify complex models through 3D visualization, HoloHuman helps to drive a deeper understanding of human anatomy in order to enhance clinical preparedness for real-life diagnostic, research and hospital scenarios, according to GigXR. Using mixed reality, which blends physical and digital elements, students are able to explore and interact in a more immersive sensory experience in their own environments and from their mobile devices.
The expanded capabilities announced today include:
Improved holographic interaction with the simulated human body enables HoloHuman to deliver anatomy curricula with immersive realism including:
- Views by regions of the human body (such as thorax), 11 different systems such as the respiratory or cardiovascular system, and over 4,500 named and described structures.
- Views of multiple anatomical systems at the same time, with the capability of simultaneously overlaying any combination of them.
- Access to detailed information about each human component within the holographic view.
Benefits for both instructors and students to encourage tailored lessons and collaborative learning including:
- Instructors are able to customize how they want models to appear, then save them as a ‘Stage’ which can be opened during a class.
- Instructors can also customize the text displayed next to models as labels and save them within configured Stages as well.
- HoloHuman now supports both in-class and remote participation at the same time using a Microsoft HoloLens headsets and mobile devices (Android and iOS) all accessing the same views within a shared session.
- All participants both local and remote can communicate through the application during an active HoloHuman session with VoIP capabilities.
- Streamlined QR code login through system account via web browser or app on mobile device, including ability to directly access previously saved session content.
Cost-effective and fully scalable immersive solution including:
- Remote capabilities and support for mobile devices, enabling HoloHuman to accommodate larger classes without deterring instructional effectiveness.
- Cost efficiencies when compared to more expensive physical models that wear out quickly or the use of human cadavers which are getting harder to acquire, expensive to maintain, and can only be used once.
- Endlessly customizable to meet specific instructional needs and incorporate new capabilities over time, something that physical models and cadavers don’t offer.
“Having built the most comprehensive software platform for rendering 3D anatomical models, we see the real value in having a mixed reality immersive learning platform because it allows instructors to share an entire structured anatomy curriculum and make concepts visual,” said Niall Johnston, VP Sales at 3D4Medical from Elsevier and GigXR partner. “This addresses the challenge that students traditionally have experienced learning in 2D while interacting in a 3D world. Mixed reality learning prepares them so much better for hands-on application of knowledge and techniques. That’s an incredibly important outcome and one of the many reasons why we’re thrilled to partner with GigXR in bringing human anatomy models to life.”
Commenting on how HoloHuman helps to transform teaching methods for institutions and individual instructors, David King Lassman, CEO at GigXR, said: “Students can now interact in real-time with a rich, multi-dimensional mixed-reality model of the human body, enabling them to visualize and explore anatomical structures and systems like never before. We’ve created with Elsevier an entirely immersive experience to train students and professionals in a way that actually looks and feels real. It’s an incredible achievement with tremendous value and potential for institutions globally.”
Finally, Greg Sullivan, Director of Mixed Reality at Microsoft, noted: “Human anatomy is so incredibly complex, but HoloHuman and the Microsoft Hololens working in tandem create a virtualized and immersive experience that is superior to working with static physical models, because of the additional contextual information provided and the ability that students have to collaborate in the same space.”
HoloHuman is available today for academic institutions to implement globally. For more information on GigXR and its HoloHuman solution, click here.
Image / video credit: GigXR / Vimeo
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
