Nick Karlovich

Virtual Reality (VR) is seeing wide use in many facets of industry and education. The medical field in particular has made advancements in visualization technology thanks to VR. In conjunction with 3-D modeling, VR has allowed for anatomical structures to be rendered in an immersive 3-D virtual space which can make for a more interactive and effective teaching tool. The Visible Heart® Laboratories (VHL) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota has created a suite of VR software which can be used to assist in the design of medical devices, train future professionals, and educate users about anatomical features. A current obstacle of the platform is the user’s lack of experience in effectively navigating virtual environments; causing them to spend more time learning how to move through the anatomy instead of learning the anatomy itself. Here, we present new functionality to the VR platform that allows for an “on a rail” system which restricts the user’s movement to 1 spline of movement while still allowing a 360-viewing experience. This functionality drastically lowers the learning curve for navigating a virtual environment, enabling new users to focus on learning the anatomical features present in the scene. Specifically, the technology created here would be used to model a Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure which could be used to help train medical professionals and medical device innovators.