Virtual Valve – Medical VR

VR medical simulation

Virtual Valve is an award-winning, high-fidelity virtual reality in healthcare simulation designed to help healthcare professionals understand the anatomy, physiology, and patient impact of aortic stenosis. At the heart of the experience was a patient character named Philip, whose symptoms, clinical presentation, and disease progression formed the narrative structure of the training. Learners followed Philip’s journey through diagnosis and treatment planning while visualising how different severities of stenosis affected the function of his aortic valve and the behaviour of his heart.

Using anatomically precise 3D models and referenced clinical data, we created a dynamically beating heart that users could explore interactively. Learners could adjust the level of stenosis, observe physiological changes in real time, and connect these observations directly to Philip’s symptoms and clinical status. This blend of patient-centred storytelling with interactive anatomical visualisation helped professionals understand not only the condition itself but also how it manifests in lived experience and impacts patient outcomes.

The project was deployed across multiple platforms initially on the Oculus Rift DevKit 1, then on a Samsung Gear VR headset, and later adapted for an Igloo 360° immersive dome, while retaining the high level of anatomical clarity that earned it recognition and multiple awards within the healthcare industry.

Cardiovascular professionals queued at the stand and in the experience room to access the experience, showing a real interest in the Virtual Valve. Using iPads to collect feedback afterwards proved invaluable with ratings scoring over 90% and individuals providing comments such as ‘Tremendous’, ‘Nothing less than amazing’, ‘Super-marvellous and inspirational’, ‘Great to see the anatomy in a new way. Really innovative!’

Virtual Reality in Healthcare

Virtual Valve uses Oculus Rift’s revolutionary virtual reality headsets combined with motion sensor technology to enable hundreds of delegates to experience travelling through the aortic arch into the heart with full, life-like HD 360 degree vision. Once inside, they were able to explore the left ventricle and interact with the experience to simulate levels of aortic stenosis and assess the impact of this condition on the patient’s heart.

Virtual Valve won 4 awards at the PM Digital Awards, including Gold for HCP education and support.

The Virtual Reality Production Process

Given the nature of production, planning all the asset requirements is key. Unlike linear animation, where everything is built to camera, here you build for the environment. That means many more assets and detail and you’ll need to balance that with performance constraints (polygon count etc.). You won’t want to compromise the experience either, VR projects are not particularly cheap to produce and against the investment, you’ll want to be sure the end-user walks away with lasting memory of their experience.

Virtual Reality in Healthcare for Industry Events

We’ve been creating VR experiences for the healthcare sector for over 10 years now, a VR experience at an industry event is a fantastic way to draw visitors to your stand. Here are some key benefits:

• Immediate focus on the product – attract instant attention and curiosity from attendees
• Up-close presentation of clinical trial data – present complex data in an engaging and easily digestible format
• Immersive visitor experience – transport visitors into the medical condition for a deeper understanding
• Engage attendees -hands-on experiences to engage visitors and make your booth memorable
• Network Strategically – identify key attendees and schedule meetings and maximise your networking opportunities
• Leverage Social Media – use platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to announce your participation and draw traffic to your booth

Contact Us About Your Virtual Reality in Healthcare Project

Are you looking to create an engaging VR experience to attract visitors to your stand at your trade event? Then feel free to drop us an email at info@sbanimation.com, or give us a call on +44 (0)207 148 0526. We would be happy to help.

If you are unfamiliar with the virtual reality production process, this blog post What to expect when you work with Sliced Bread might serve to help you, it provides a complete guide on how we typically approach our projects, from concept to final delivery. It also provides information on how we structure our fees and plan the production schedule.

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