October 15, 2009 - Developers of Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT), a specialist software designed to offer training for radiotherapy students, nurses and staff, have paired their technology with the VR stereoscopic 3D visualization system by Virtalis to provide the software a greater level of realism.
Virtalis installed and provided training for its StereoWorks ActiveWall tracked system at UWE, the first “Immersive VERT” system in the world at the time. It includes a rear-projected pair of Christie Mirage S+6k active stereoscopic projectors, an Intersense IS-900 tracking system and Virtalis integration software and expertise.
UWE’s team has also been using VERT to share radiotherapy knowledge with other medical professionals in a drive to increase the integration of care for cancer patients. “Our Head and Neck Masterclasses have brought VERT to nurse specialists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive because we are able to study anatomy in 3D, making it far more interactive than a standard conference.”
National Radiotherapy Advisory Group, Ben Roe, senior lecturer in radiotherapy at the University of the West of England (UWE) and his team believe their second VERT system will help raise awareness of a profession that incorporates both science and care. They also hope that their use of VERT will highlight their innovative approach to learning. “VERT is helping us bridge the gap between practice and education,” explained Roe. “As we acquire data, we are increasingly able to teach from real life cases, making our work up to date and closely linked to clinical practice.”
The UWE team to take part in research in strategies for using IT in Education and they UWE Group review of VERT system recently attended the IT in Education International Conference.
For more information: www.virtalis.com