MAGES 4.0: Accelerating the world's transition to VR training and democratizing the authoring of the medical metaverse

• Published in: IEEE computer graphics and applications Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Zikas, Paul, Protopsaltis, Antonis, Lydatakis, Nick, Kentros, Mike, Geronikolakis, Stratos, Kateros, Steve, Kamarianakis, Manos, Evangelou, Giannis, Filippidis, Achilleas, Grigoriou, Eleni, Angelis, Dimitris, Tamiolakis, Michail, Dodis, Michael, Kokiadis, George, Petropoulos, John, Pateraki, Maria, Papagiannakis, George
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.03.2023; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Augmented reality; Authoring; Behavioral sciences; Computer simulation; Engines; Metaverse; Neural networks; Software; Software development tools; Task analysis; Training; Virtual reality; Visualization
• ISSN: 0272-1716; 1558-1756; 1558-1756
• DOI: 10.1109/MCG.2023.3242686

In this work, we propose MAGES 4.0, a novel Software Development Kit (SDK) to accelerate the creation of collaborative medical training applications in VR/AR. Our solution is essentially a low-code metaverse authoring platform for developers to rapidly prototype high-fidelity and high-complexity medical simulations. MAGES breaks the authoring boundaries across extended reality, since networked participants can also collaborate using different virtual/augmented reality as well as mobile and desktop devices, in the same metaverse world. With MAGES we propose an upgrade to the outdated 150-year-old master-apprentice medical training model. Our platform incorporates, in a nutsell, the following novelties: a) 5G edge-cloud remote rendering and physics dissection layer, b) realistic real-time simulation of organic tissues as soft-bodies under 10ms, c) a highly realistic cutting and tearing algorithm, d) neural network assessment for user profiling and, e) a VR recorder to record and replay or debrief the training simulation from any perspective.