Materialise Introduces VR Capabilities for Medical Planning in Mimics Viewer

Materialise NV introduced its new Mimics VR Viewer, bringing virtual reality (VR) capabilities to its 3D modeling platform. 

The VR environment in the Mimics Viewer provides clinicians with a complement to 3D printed anatomical models, allowing for faster and lower-cost visualization through more interactive models for planning, education and communication.

“3D printed anatomical models continue to provide irreplaceable value for doctors in the planning and communication of complex cases,” says Bryan Crutchfield, vice president and general manager, Materialise North America. “As VR technologies become more seamless, the technology will have an important complementary role as a faster, low cost option for interactive models.

“The interactive nature of a VR environment opens new doors for planning, education and communication and allow physicians to easily address more complex cases through personalized planning,” Crutchfield adds.

Existing VR applications have been limited by factors such as the technical training needed to implement the workflow and requirements to tether headsets to a dedicated computer and physical space, which limit opportunities to collaborate. The VR experience within the Mimics Viewer is the first to remove tethering restrictions to ensure compatibility across multiple VR devices on the market today. This feature enables multiple viewers to access the VR experience remotely, while eliminating the need for a physical lab space dedicated to VR technology. By removing the tethering requirement, VR becomes a more accessible tool for collaborative planning and communication.

With the new VR environment within the Mimics Viewer, clinicians can access a digital tool to create models with improved depth and proportion perception for personalized treatments.

Medical organizations that have already invested in the digital workflows for segmenting medical images for 3D printing can use this technology to extend their digital models to VR headsets.  The Mimics Viewer will require no extra software installation and the user will be able to access cases directly in a secure browser environment.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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