Holographic teaching and training solution empowers instructors in providing true-to-life, collaborative learning for nursing and medical students wherever they are located
Image provided by GigXR
GigXR, a global provider of extended reality (XR) solutions for instructor-led teaching and training, and Elsevier, a global provider in research publishing and information analytics, announced expanded immersive learning capabilities for HoloHuman, the reality anatomy application that empowers instructors in providing students with ultra-realistic holographic learning environments.
Created to simplify complex models through 3D visualization, HoloHuman drives deeper understanding of human anatomy to enhance clinical preparedness for real-life diagnostic, research and hospital scenarios. Instructors will now experience all-new capabilities such as customizable learning stages, interactive group communications, and the ability to share the same anatomy hologram with students who are in the classroom, distanced on campus, or even fully remote.
Introduced in 2019 as the world’s first 3D anatomy model with 3D4Medical from Elsevier, the creators of the most advanced 3D human anatomy platform, GigXR and Elsevier have expanded their partnership to incorporate into HoloHuman the latest in 3D design for advanced holographic models of human anatomy capable of supporting entire curricula of lessons. 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.
“HoloHuman provides students with an incredible level of realism and spatial awareness of anatomy that is hard to provide through conventional methods such as physical models, standard two-dimensional images and human body diagrams,” said Dr. Jane Frost, Associate Professor in Nursing at the University of Canberra in Australia and GigXR client who has used HoloHuman and mixed reality methods to mimic real-life scenarios.
Mixed reality training improves outcomes
Dr. Frost and colleagues at the University of Canberra used HoloHuman to teach pharmacy students about administering vaccinations and concluded that it significantly augments and improves student understanding of anatomy related to potential vaccine injection sites, helping to ensure safe delivery. (Evaluation of Vaccination Training in Pharmacy Curriculum, 2020).
“The ability to visualize and walk through how tracking a needle will take through the body allows students to understand the anatomical landmarks and visualize the nerves and blood vessels of the area,” said Dr. Frost. “In this way, HoloHuman augments traditional training with manikins by creating an enhanced understanding of the human body in relation to the procedure.”
Dr. Frost credits improved engagement, and student outcomes to mixed reality and its ability to provide realistic and interactive ways to learn new and interactive ways.
HoloHumans new enhanced platform with customizable sessions that are able to be streamed to students who cannot be physically present and/or who cannot wear the head mounted device is an extremely valuable addition particularly in the current COVID -19 pandemic when educators are striving for innovative engaging ways to teach.
Tangible benefits and expanded capabilities
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 the model to appear, then save it as a Stage which is easily opened during the class.
- Instructors can also customize the text displayed next to the model as Labels and save them within configured Stages as well.
- To encourage collaborative immersive learning, HoloHuman now supports both in-class and remote participation at the same time using 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.
3D visualization enhances today’s teaching methods
“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.”
“HoloHuman transforms teaching methods for institutions and individual instructors who have been asking for a much better way for students to experience and understand human anatomy,” said David King Lassman, CEO at GigXR. “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.”
Microsoft HoloLens renders immersive views
HoloHuman employs the Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset to create the immersive experience of human anatomy studies, providing instructors and students with mixed-reality views of anatomical systems and structures from any angle as well as observing underlying structures to any current view.
“A large part of the educational experience is giving students the ability to visualize how knowledge can be applied in different situations and actually see the cause and effect process at work within a complex system,” said Greg Sullivan, Director of Mixed Reality at Microsoft. “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.”
Available for institutions globally
HoloHuman is available today for academic institutions to implement globally. For more information on HoloHuman, visit gigxr.com/holohuman. To learn more about HoloHuman’s newest features or to schedule a demo, email sales@gigxr.com. For more information on Elsevier, visit elsevier.com, and for more on 3D4Medical from Elsevier, visit 3d4medical.com.
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 and the UK. To learn more about GigXR visit www.gigxr.com.
About Elsevier
A global provider in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across the global research and health ecosystems.
Elsevier employs 8,100 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our 2,500+ digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our 40,000 eBook titles; and our iconic reference works, such as Gray’s Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research and healthcare in developing countries and around the world.
Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.elsevier.com.
