The University of Maryland, the University of Maryland School of Medicine https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu and the University of Michigan https://medicine.umich.edu received $5 million to launch a center to advance medical innovations and regulatory science for extended reality technology.
Medical examples of extended reality or referred to as XR which is the umbrella term used for technology based in virtual and augmented reality or other immersive media, are already being tested in clinical trials. However, widespread use in hospitals and other healthcare settings is currently hampered by technical challenges and sparse regulatory guidelines.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) https://www.nsf.gov awarded $5 million to companies including Google, Microsoft, and Meta (formerly known as Facebook), plus a trio of academic institutions to collaborate with industry and the federal government to develop, test, and certify XR technologies in medicine and healthcare.
The award is part of NSF’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program, designed to jumpstart breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies.
The new Center for Medical Innovations in Extended Reality, known as MIXR, joins University of Maryland computer scientists and engineers with physicians and clinicians at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and the University of Michigan to improve medical training, patient management, and healthcare outcomes across all areas of clinical practice.
In addition to Google, Microsoft, and Meta, other technology companies involved in MIXR are Sony, Magic Leap, Health 2047, GigXR, Brainlab, and apoQlar. Another key partner in MIXR will be regulatory experts working at FDA to ensure that safe, effective and innovative clinical solutions make it to patients as soon as possible.
Mark Cohen M.D. Professor and Vice Chair of Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, reports, “Using XR in medical rounds and adding in virtual reality-based illustrations or augmented reality data overlaid on a patient, makes for a richer experience both in-person and if virtually observed from hundreds of miles away.
The MIXER initiative is heavily dependent on powerful computing resources. At Maryland, these resources will be handled by the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies. There will also be an industry liaison contact between MIXR researchers and technology companies
This includes building and maintaining a soon-to-be-unveiled “HoloCamera” studio where more than 300 immersive cameras are fused together to bring enable unique visualization technology to be used. The new camera system can be used to record cinematic quality 3D demos of surgeons teaching intricate procedures.