Solutions for the Life Sciences Industry

3D or Virtual Reality is used in many applications other than engineering.  For instance, it has been an important part of the gaming and entertainment industries for years.  Now, Virtual Reality has made its way into the life sciences industry as a tool for medical research, education and patient care.

Dassault Systèmes (DS)’ Virtual Reality solution for life sciences has been developed in partnership with advanced medical laboratories and universities for various applications.  In the area of research and exposure therapy, Virtual Reality is utilized for studying and treating patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, phobias and addictions.  Researchers can now safely observe and record the interaction between a patient and an object or an environment that causes some psychological impact, for instance, by placing a patient inside a simulated flight or face to face with a simulated spider.  The information gathered from the virtual reality sessions is useful for gaining insight into the patient’s cognitive behaviors and for understanding the mechanics of the disorders.  Medical practitioners then use Virtual Reality to treat the disorder by allowing patients to gradually confront their fears or addictions through repeated encounters with the simulated objects.  In other instances, Virtual Reality also provides relief for trauma patients.  When placed inside a simulated icy world, burn trauma patients are able to receive their daily treatment without the use of anthalgic (i.e. pain killers).

There are many ways that Virtual Reality can be employed for education and training.  “Cyber anatomy” educates people about the human body.  Simulating a surgery “in Virtuo” prepares medical practitioners for complex surgeries.  In the area of public health education, Virtual Reality can be used to simulate the world from the perception of a person with medical problems.  For instance, by allowing users to experience how it feels to be someone with impaired vision or on a wheel chair, the government helps raise public awareness to provide better care for handicapped citizens. 

Cutting edge realism techniques of DS’ Virtual Reality solution offers infinite possibilities in life sciences.  This solution comes with an authoring platform, a set of Virtual Reality libraries, a deployment tool, and use-case references for using the tools.  Please visit 3DVIA Virtools for Life Sciences for more information.