Daily Archives: July 17, 2017

There's a baby boy on a stretcher in a children's hospital emergency room. His mother is standing nearby, begging the doctors to do something, as her baby lies there. He is drooling and shaking; his diaper is soaked; he is making a disturbing snoring noise. An EMT comes in and says, "Doctor, this is a one-year-old male found by the mother at home, having a seizure. The seizure's been lasting about seven minutes. Blood glucose on scene was 90." The EMT leaves.

A nurse exclaims to the doctor, "You have to do something! He is seizing! He is seizing!"

"Are you just going to let him die?" the mother wails.

The doctor has just a few seconds to make a decision. Should she put an oxygen mask on the baby? Give the baby Ativan or another anti-seizure medication? Quickly, she has to makes her choice, or the baby is going to die.

Well, not actually. This was a virtual reality simulation designed by doctors at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in conjunction with Oculus's VR for Good program and the companies AiSolve and Bioflight, intended to help medical students and residents get training in the kinds of low frequency, high stakes situations that children's ER doctors encounter situations that are particularly expensive and logistically complicated to teach.

According to Dr. Joshua Sherman of CHLA and the USC Keck School of Medicine, VR helps solve several problems for medical training programs: expense, accessibility, and verisimilitude. (Sherman also helped develop the training.) Hands-on training for medical students and residents is time-consuming and expensive mannequins run upwards of $50,000, plus maintenance and tech support and also requires a room full of actual people to play the doctors and nurses. The other type of training currently used is screen-based training, but that doesn't closely mimic a real-life situation. VR manages to replicate the atmosphere of an emergency room situation while also being accessible a trainee can easily do it on his or her own time. Besides the simulated nature of the experience, the main drawbacks right now are lack of voice control and inability to have more than one person in the experience at the same time. There's also currently only two training modules, so the applications are limited.

Shermans first VR experience was the Oculus Dream Deck which puts users at the top of a very tall building. Sherman, who is afraid of heights, felt his heart rate go up and his palms get sweaty. "I knew it was not real but I couldn't get myself to jump," he said. "When I felt that physiologic response and how similar it was to the real world, I immediately thought, why can't we use this to simulate the response on resuscitations? We can train people who we can't train in real life, up to an extent, so then when they face it in real life, it still will be very stressful but they will be able to select the correct items and protocols under pressure."

I'm not a doctor, nor am I training to be one, but when I tried the simulation (or as it's officially called, the "VR Pediatric Resuscitation Module 1: Status Epilepticus"), I found myself getting anxious about choosing the right protocol for this fake baby. Though I was guided through it by Clay Park VR founder and former Oculus developer relations specialist Shauna Heller, who produced the project, it was still nerve-wracking to be inside this emergency room, responsible for saving the life of an infant.

Sherman said that's entirely the point. "We compared the physiology of stress in real-life emergency situations to that of people going through VR their heart rate, breathing rate, and salivary cortisol, which is a stress hormone. The preliminary data shows that the heart rates definitely correlate between the real world and VR world."

Much like a video game, the simulations have different levels that students can progress through; the more advanced levels have more distractions. Marie Lafortune, a chief resident at CHLA, said she'd never used VR before and isn't good at video games, but quickly took to the medical simulation, which she described as a complement to mannequin and screen-based training. "It can be more challenging to think straight in highly stressful situations," she said. "Virtual reality puts you in that situation. And there's also a virtual reality parent there that's triggering some emotional responses. She's like, 'My baby, do something to help my baby.' Inside you, you're hearing this parent and you are in a way almost distracted by them and you need to refocus. So you get to experience that stress and practice putting into action some of the medicine that you know or that you're learning."

Several other medical-related VR experiences exist a neurosurgeon at UCLA uses it to interpret MRI scans, for example, and there's another group using it to help train people on doing colonoscopies, as well as people using it for psychological reasons like anxiety reduction and pain relief but this seems to be the first specifically dedicated to children's emergency medicine. Oculus financed the entire project through its VR for Good initiative.

Though a spokesperson declined to give specific budget numbers, she told BuzzFeed News via email that the cost of the project was less than the cost of a year of medical simulation training at CHLA. With additional funding, Sherman envisions a future where medical schools and hospitals can have a library of VR training modules for different scenarios. "A trainee a medical student, resident, or EMT could go to their computer in their staff lounge or at home and decide, 'Today I want to practice how to take care of someone having a heart attack.' The next day, they could practice a seizure," he said. "I want this to be available internationally, in places where they don't have funds for mannequins."

Also on his wish list for the future is voice control right now, the "doctor" can only respond to what's happening in the room by using hand controls and team play, which would help people practice communication and teamwork. But that's all up in the air until the team can get more funding. Sherman has applied for federal grants and has approached different organizations, like epilepsy foundations, about helping to fund the VR training, but so far nothing has come through. He also recently presented at the National Board of Medical Examiners, which he said is potentially interested in using VR as an assessment tool.

"People want more research and more proof that it works before they throw down that kind of money to develop it," he said. "We're working on that and that getting it out there. Spreading it might spark interest with people who might want to fund more."

Doree Shafrir is a senior tech writer for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.

Contact Doree Shafrir at doree@buzzfeed.com.

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Virtual Reality Is Medical Training's Next Frontier - BuzzFeed News

Chinese media dubbed 2016 as the birth year of virtual reality (VR) in the country. Tech companies, including the big threeAlibaba, Tencent and Baiduall sought to set up their own VR initiatives. China may become the first market to see mass VR adoption by consumers thanks to drivers like government support, a willingness by consumers to adopt new tech and a highly competitive environment that will force prices down and foster innovation.

Here are five takeaways from a 2017 report on the state of VR in China from consultancy iResearch Consulting Group and VR market research firm Greenlight Insights.

No. 1: Revenues generated by the VR market in China will skyrocket between 2016 and 2021

The virtual reality marketwhich includes revenues from headsets, content, experience centers, peripheral hardware, marketing and VR camerasis projected to grow from RMB3.46 billion ($520.8 million) in 2016 to RMB79.02 billion ($11.9 billion) in 2021. Thats a more than twentyfold increase during that timeframe.

No. 2: Consumer content will soon generate massive revenues for Chinas VR sector

In 2016, sales of VR headsets accounted for 59.2% of total virtual reality revenues in Chinaby far the largest sharewhile consumer content made up just 7.7%. However, consumer VR content is set to explode, and is expected to account for 35.3% of all VR revenues in the country by 2021. By then, games will lead the VR content category, generating RMB9.62 billion ($1.45 billion), followed by films and movies at RMB8.79 billion ($1.32 billion) and live streaming at RMB 4.46 billion ($671 million).

No. 3: Companies will increasingly rely on VR to drive innovation and lower costs

Enterprise solutions will be one of the fastest growing VR segments in China, rising from RMB3.46 million ($521,000) in 2016 to RMB8.77 billion ($1.32 billion) by 2021. VR technology is already being applied in a number of disparate fields in China, including architecture, engineering, real estate, healthcare and retail, just to name a few. VR will eventually replace all screens in our lives and enhance efficiency in all industries, Alvin Graylin, head of operations in China for HTC, which makes the Vive VR headset, told eMarketer. Its likely going to be the technology that will ultimately enable a full remote workforce model for most businesses in the world, while greatly increasing the available talent pool for any business.

No. 4: In the short term, VR will remain a niche tool among marketers

Though VR has the potential to help brands drive a more immersive and possibly more memorable marketing experience, the technology will not become a mainstream tool for marketers until it reaches mass adoption among consumers. According to the iResearch/Greenlight study, VR marketing outlays in China will grow from RMB30 million ($4.52 million) in 2016 to RMB1.98 billion ($298.05 million) by 2021. To give some sense of scale, eMarketer predicts digital ad spending in China will reach $96.52 billion in 2021.

No. 5: Budget-conscious consumers are investing in low-cost headsets (for now)

In 2016, the vast majority of the roughly 9.63 million VR devices shipped in China consisted of cardboard-type devices (e.g., Google Cardboard)understandable given their affordable price in a relatively untested market. However, mobile VR headsets, such as the Samsung Gear, will surpass cardboard headsets by 2021. By then, total VR headset shipments will hit 105.25 million in China, according to the report.

Man-Chung Cheung

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Five Insights into China's Virtual Reality Sector - eMarketer

Disneys D23 Expo covers all aspects of its entertainment empire, and today the studio revealed that virtual reality is coming to the Marvel universe. Marvel Powers United VR is being made by Oculus and Sanzaru Games, and will let players step into the shoes of characters like The Hulk, Captain Marvel, or Rocket Raccoon. The announcement came during the Level Up gaming panel, which also included updates about Star Wars: Battlefront II and Insomniac Games upcoming Spider-Man game.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the game will be exclusive to the Oculus Rift headset and Touch controllers. One of the big selling points is that its actually going to be a co-op experience. Multiple players can team up, each taking on the role of a different Marvel character, to play together in joint missions. Disney is planning on announcing additional characters for the game starting next week at San Diego Comic-Con, with Powers United VR itself targeted for a 2018 release.

Aside from the allure of Marvel characters themselves, the multiplayer aspect of the game has the potential to help it really stand out. Much like Star Trek Bridge Crew, another VR game built around the idea of multiple players collaborating towards a common goal, it sounds like a perfect title for location-based VR installations. Whether in standalone VR arcades, or a potential set-up in a movie theater or other location, multiplayer VR games should help encourage adoption by incentivizing players to bring in friends that otherwise havent tried the platform, growing the base of people used to playing and paying for VR.

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Marvel is getting its own virtual reality game and it's called Powers United VR - The Verge

Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB) Oculus is reportedly planning to release a stand-alone virtual reality device next year to retail for just $200. The goal is to push VR into the mainstream.

Virtual reality has been a niche product for the better part of 30 years. But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a big bet that VR is going to be the next big computing platform when his company bought Oculus for $2 billion in 2014.

Oculus released its first consumer product, the Rift, last year. While the device is relatively affordable, it requires users to hook it up to an expensive PC to run software. Meanwhile, low-cost devices that license Oculus technology like Samsung's (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF) Gear VR, require a high-end smartphone. The new device will find a happy middle ground in terms of both capabilities and price. That may be just what the market needs in order for mass consumer adoption.

Facebook Spaces. Images source: Facebook

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg stated, "It's going to take five or 10 more years of development before we get to where we all want to go." Considering, the new Oculus device will have limited capabilities -- for example, no positional tracking -- it's just another step for the company in its push toward making VR the next big computing platform.

Other consumer electronic companies are following suit. Samsung is reportedly planning its own stand-alone headset as well, which will rely on Oculus technology. Other players like HTC and Lenovo are working on similar devices using Google's Daydream platform.

But Zuckerberg would compare these upcoming devices to early smartphones like those from Blackberry or Palm circa 2003. In other words, it's still very early and it could be another five years or more before we see a device that sparks mass interest in the platform. Zuckerberg points out it took 10 years for the smartphone market to sell 1 billion devices.

"I don't know [if] there was something that folks could have done to make that happen fast, but I think that was pretty good. And if we can be on a similar trajectory of anywhere near 10 years for VR and AR, then I would feel very good about that," Zuckerberg said during Facebook's fourth quarter earnings call earlier this year. "We're going to invest a lot in this and it's not going to return or be really profitable for us for quite a while," he added.

One big hurdle for virtual reality to overcome is a lack of content. That could be anything from immersive video content to video games. The problem is it's hard for top video game studios to create games for the platform before a mass audience exists.

To that end, Facebook has committed $250 million to new VR content. Most of that money will go toward software -- like the Facebook Spaces app the company unveiled during its F8 developers conference this spring -- and video games.

The new stand-alone device could help build a sizable enough audience that Facebook would no longer have to seed the content ecosystem. VR projects would be viable of their own accord, and game studios and software developers could start investing their time and money in projects for both high-end and low-end devices.

There's a ton of interest in virtual reality right now from a development side, but consumer demand hasn't quite taken off. We may still be a few years away from that, and Facebook will likely continue to lose money on its VR investments, but a stand-alone device with a broader reach than current devices have may be a key step to getting to where Facebook wants to go.

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Is 2018 the Year Virtual Reality Goes Mainstream? | Business ... - Madison.com

Virtual reality is being used to train law enforcement officers for scenarios they may encounter out in the field, ranging from traffic stops to active shooter situations.

A new facility incorporating a virtual reality simulator along with a physical training environment was introduced last month in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The facility is the first of its kind in the state and another step towards virtual reality becoming a more mainstream element in law enforcement training across the country.

The facility is called STARS: Situational Training And Response Simulator, and is a joint initiative involving various agencies in Monmouth County. The location is divided into two parts. The first is a physical plant which places officers in a tangible environment using non-lethal training rounds, smoke, fire alarms, strobes, and other special effects. For the second, virtual portion of the training, they are using the VirTra V-300 simulator from a company called VirTra Systems Inc.

This simulator has five screens which allows trainees a 300-degree view of the situation. Scenarios are designed to replicate real-life events that officers may encounter in the field, ranging from domestic violence incidents to active shooter situations. The trainees are equipped with a variety of tools including training firearms that recoil and weigh the same as an authentic firearm would.

The scenarios are pre-recorded using trained actors with approximately 10 to 15 different outcomes per scenario. An operator in the training room controls how the simulation unfolds based on the actions of the trainee.

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"The main objective is to have the officers go in and be submersed in different scenarios so they have that split-second decision-making capability," said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. "And not only split-second decision-making capability on use of force, but de-escalation how to handle different scenarios, how to provide commands so that we have positive outcomes along the way."

Other law enforcement agencies around the country have also added virtual reality simulators to their arsenal of training techniques. Earlier this year, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office in California added the VirTra V-300 simulator. Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said that while simulation technology has had a place in law enforcement for decades, it has evolved into what can genuinely be called "virtual reality."

"When I went to the academy in the late 80s and early 90s they had something called FATS, which is Fire Arms Training Simulator. This has kind of evolved from that," Crum explained. "Back in the day, it was this really kind of rough single TV screen. It was kind of a 'shoot, don't shoot' situation. But this is significantly better than those old days because it is so virtual reality and you can turn around and move and all of our weapons are functioning."

Crum also spoke about an electronic impulse device which can be used to deliver a mild shock to the trainee, although his agency hasn't adopted that technology.

"We have a device which introduces pain and stress," said Scott Dilullo, federal law enforcement business development manager at VirTra Systems Inc. He explained to CBS News why pain and stress might be useful, even desirable, in a training situation.

"We're to trying to elicit what we call in training a 'fear response,' because once we elicit that fear response the heart rate can get over a hundred and sixty beats per minute. This is where we understand that the officers have problems making decisions. It affects their motor skills and all of that so we need to get their heart rates up. We need to get them stressed."

VirTra Systems' VR and other training technology is currently used by more than 200 individual law enforcement agencies across 38 states. But it's not the only company delving into the virtual reality business for law enforcement.

Ethan Moeller, CEO of LEVRS Inc., is planning on rolling out virtual reality technology for law enforcement later this year. His firm has also been working with corrections agencies. Moeller currently offers a 360-degree virtual reality platform which requires the user to wear a headset. The environment they see projected inside is real and was previously filmed; while the user can look around in the virtual environment, he or she cannot move within it.

The LEVRS 'Argo' training platform uses computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create realistic scenarios that law enforcement officers may encounter in the line of duty.

Tyson Iravani, courtesy of Levrs Inc.

The company has used the technology to film the environment where soon-to-be-released inmates will be living, allowing them to first see it through a virtual headset to help make their transition into the outside world go as smooth as possible. LEVRS has an ongoing partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for this service.

Moeller is also working on a computer graphics platform which uses a virtual reality headset paired with computer-generated imagery to create virtual scenarios and situations for law enforcement. That version uses the VIVE system to track hand and body movement so that users can move and walk within a realistic world.

Like VirTra, an operator must be present to determine the outcome of the scenario. However, Moeller hopes that speech recognition software may be able to remove the need for an operator in the future, instead allowing the scenario to unfold naturally based on the verbal commands and actions of an officer. Various outcomes would be preprogrammed by a trainer.

"The great thing about virtual reality is that it brings you closer to a real-life experience than anything else that I've ever at least experienced. And because of that, when you train you want to get that environment as real as possible and that's what VR does," Moeller said.

"But it does it without the risks of real life. So if you make a mistake in virtual reality you don't get hurt, no one else gets hurt, and you learn."

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Virtual reality helps reinvent law enforcement training - CBS News