Building interactive virtual environments for simulated training in medicine using VRML and Java/JavaScript

Building interactive virtual environments for simulated training in medicine using VRML and Java/JavaScript

Medicine is a difficult thing to learn. Experimenting with real patients should not be the only option; simulation deserves a special attention here. Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) as a tool for building virtual objects and scenes has a good record of educational applications in medicine,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computer methods and programs in biomedicine Vol. 80; pp. S61 - S70
Main Authors: Koročsec, D., Holobar, A., Divjak, M., Zazula, D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-12-2005
Subjects:
Education, Medical - methods
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Medical training
Models, Biological
Neonatal resuscitation
Programming Languages
User-Computer Interface
Virtual environments
Virtual newborn
VRML
Virtual newborn
VRML
Medical training
Neonatal resuscitation
Virtual environments
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Medicine is a difficult thing to learn. Experimenting with real patients should not be the only option; simulation deserves a special attention here. Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) as a tool for building virtual objects and scenes has a good record of educational applications in medicine, especially for static and animated visualisations of body parts and organs. However, to create computer simulations resembling situations in real environments the required level of interactivity and dynamics is difficult to achieve. In the present paper we describe some approaches and techniques which we used to push the limits of the current VRML technology further toward dynamic 3D representation of virtual environments (VEs). Our demonstration is based on the implementation of a virtual baby model, whose vital signs can be controlled from an external Java application. The main contributions of this work are: (a) outline and evaluation of the three-level VRML/Java implementation of the dynamic virtual environment, (b) proposal for a modified VRML Timesensor node, which greatly improves the overall control of system performance, and (c) architecture of the prototype distributed virtual environment for training in neonatal resuscitation comprising the interactive virtual newborn, active bedside monitor for vital signs and full 3D representation of the surgery room.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:0169-2607
1872-7565
DOI:10.1016/S0169-2607(05)80007-0