CAE VimedixAR
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| CAE VimedixAR | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Type | Medical simulation |
| Industry | Healthcare simulation |
| Developer | CAE Healthcare (renamed Elevate Healthcare in 2024) |
| Supported Devices | Microsoft HoloLens (first generation), Microsoft HoloLens 2; requires a CAE Vimedix ultrasound simulator |
| Release Date | January 27, 2017 (announcement and presale) |
CAE VimedixAR is an augmented reality add-on module for the CAE Vimedix ultrasound training simulator. It runs on Microsoft HoloLens headsets and shows holograms of anatomy directly on the Vimedix manikin, so learners can watch how the ultrasound beam cuts through the body while they scan. CAE Healthcare, then the healthcare division of the Canadian simulation company CAE, announced the module on January 27, 2017, on the eve of the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in Orlando, Florida.[1] CAE said it would be the first company to bring a commercial HoloLens application to the medical simulation market.[1]
The module was later updated for Microsoft HoloLens 2. In January 2020 CAE Healthcare announced HoloLens 2 applications for three of its simulators, including VimedixAR with interactive cardiac scenarios.[2] A 2023 systematic review of HoloLens use in medicine named VimedixAR as one of the first commercial applications available for the first-generation HoloLens.[3] CAE Healthcare was sold to Madison Industries in February 2024 and renamed Elevate Healthcare in May 2024; Elevate's 2024 Vimedix brochure still offered VimedixAR as a HoloLens 2 add-on.[4][5][6]
History
Announcement (2017)
CAE Healthcare's January 2017 announcement described VimedixAR as an ultrasound training simulator "integrated with the Microsoft HoloLens". Learners would be able to examine 3D anatomy inside the body of the Vimedix manikin and, while scanning an animated heart, lungs or abdomen, see in real time how the ultrasound beam cuts through the anatomy to produce an ultrasound image. The hologram could be raised above the body to show how circulatory, respiratory and skeletal structures fit together, and the heart could be isolated, enlarged and rotated at eye level.[1][7] CAE Healthcare president Dr. Robert Amyot said in the release that "Augmented and virtual reality can accelerate learning and provide shared training experiences" and that the company's engineering team was "just beginning to explore possibilities with the Microsoft HoloLens". The release also quoted Lorraine Bardeen, general manager of Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Experiences.[1]
The release said the VimedixAR module would be available for presale at IMSH and online.[1][8] CAE's HoloLens web page at launch invited visitors to sign up for updates and to be told "when the module is ready to ship".[9] The same announcement said CAE had started building HoloLens training prototypes with medical device companies, so that physicians could practice placing cardiac devices or implants before treating patients.[7] At the time, CAE said about 9,000 of its simulators and audiovisual systems were in use worldwide.[7] The announcement was also reported by Canadian Healthcare Technology and Osborne Clarke's Connected Consumer site.[10][11]
Availability and promotion (2017-2019)
CAE's user guide for the module, document 905K800022 version 4 with a 2017 copyright, addresses customers who have bought "the VimedixAR add-on module" for their Vimedix simulator.[12] A 2018 CAE Vimedix product flyer, hosted by the Spanish distributor Medical Simulator, stated "CAE VimedixAR now available with Microsoft HoloLens" and listed instructor-driven support for multiple HoloLens headsets and self-directed FAST exam exercises in augmented reality with the VimedixAR module.[13]
In March 2018, after the HIMSS conference, Bardeen wrote on Microsoft's Windows Experience Blog that "CAE VimedixAR is the first ultrasound simulator to integrate HoloLens", and described users displaying, enlarging, turning and rotating anatomical parts or commanding them to return into the manikin body.[14] By April 2019, CAE's HoloLens page presented VimedixAR alongside three other HoloLens projects: the LucinaAR childbirth simulator, an augmented reality training solution for the Abiomed Impella heart pump, and a training solution for the Medtronic Micra Transcatheter Pacing System that supported up to 11 simultaneous learners.[15]
HoloLens 2 version (2020)
On January 17, 2020, CAE Healthcare announced its first applications for HoloLens 2, to be shown at IMSH 2020 in San Diego: CAE AresAR for emergency care, plus versions of LucinaAR and VimedixAR with interactive childbirth and cardiac scenarios. The release said the applications would display 3D, interactive cardiac, respiratory and circulatory systems, and that CAE's augmented reality applications would offer standalone virtual patients for pre-briefing or interdisciplinary team training. It credited CAE Healthcare with the first ultrasound and childbirth applications for the first HoloLens. Rekha Ranganathan, then president of CAE Healthcare, and Matt Fleckenstein, Microsoft's head of mixed reality marketing, were quoted.[2]
Features
The details in this section come from CAE's 2017 user guide for the first-generation HoloLens version.[12]
Setup and calibration
VimedixAR runs as a HoloLens app that joins a Vimedix Wi-Fi network, through a router cabled to the Vimedix computer; the guide gives a fixed power-on order for the router, computer and headset. Before a session in a new room, users are told to walk around so the HoloLens can build a spatial map (the guide relays Microsoft's suggestion of 5 to 10 minutes), and the guide warns that windows, mirrors, blank walls, rooms without furniture and large monitors in view can make holograms drift. The hologram manikin is aligned with the physical manikin either with a printed "T" tag placed on the table or by gaze, then fine-tuned in 1 cm steps with voice commands or an on-screen widget; a further command tilts the hologram 45 degrees to match the manikin on its stands. Users can also run the headset's interpupillary distance calibration from the app. Only two Vimedix pathologies, Normal Patient 3 and an E-FAST template, were supported by the AR module in this version.[12]
Hologram views
The interface has an interactive panel, an ultrasound panel that shows the live ultrasound image, and hologram controls. Users can show a cross-section of the anatomy along the ultrasound beam's cut plane on either side of the probe, expand the anatomical systems into layers above the manikin, raise the selected anatomy to about 10 cm below eye level (which unlocks zoom and rotation), show or hide a virtual probe, and pause the probe to loop the last scanned cycle.[12] Input uses the first HoloLens's gaze, air tap and tap-and-hold gestures, and voice commands that start with the word "Vimedix" (for example "Vimedix, Start Simulation").[12]
Multi-user modes and exercises
Each headset runs in one of three shared experience modes: Individual, Instructor or Student. Only one user can be the Instructor; when someone takes that role, every other headset becomes a Student and follows the Instructor's session with restricted controls.[12] Two exercises, available only in Instructor mode, are built around the FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma) protocol:[12]
| Exercise | Task | Results shown |
|---|---|---|
| Region Scan | Scan selected FAST regions (right and left upper quadrant, pelvic, pericardial, right and left pleural) as thoroughly as possible in the shortest time | Total time, distance traveled (cm), angular movement (degrees), percent scanned, and a cloud of green and red points on the hologram marking scanned and missed areas[12] |
| Find Fluids | Locate free fluid placed at random or chosen locations (Douglas' Pouch, Morrison's Pouch, Pericardial Effusion, Pleural Effusion, Splenal Renal) and name the affected regions | Total time, distance traveled, angular movement, correct and incorrect answers, and the scanned-area point cloud[12] |
A Shared Demo lets the Instructor step all headsets through the anatomy, layers, an isolated heart, cut planes with or without the ultrasound image, and highlighted FAST regions and fluid locations; a Local Demo plays a preloaded version on a single headset, even without a connection to Vimedix.[12]
Supported devices
| Headset | Status for VimedixAR |
|---|---|
| Microsoft HoloLens (first generation) | Supported from the 2017 launch; the user guide covers this headset[1][12] |
| Microsoft HoloLens 2 | Version announced January 17, 2020; still offered in Elevate Healthcare's 2024 brochure[2][6] |
The module requires a CAE Vimedix ultrasound simulator, which the 2018 and 2024 brochures sell in cardiac, abdominal and obstetrics and gynecology configurations.[13][6]
Research
In their systematic review of first-generation HoloLens studies, Christina Gsaxner, Dieter Schmalstieg, Jan Egger and colleagues named VimedixAR among the first commercial applications for the first-generation HoloLens, followed by anatomy tools such as HoloHuman by 3DMedical (Elsevier). They wrote that research on HoloLens-based medical education was "not as numerous as one might expect", possibly because commercial solutions were available, and identified 24 publications on HoloLens-based support for medical and healthcare students.[3]
Current status
After CAE agreed in October 2023 to sell CAE Healthcare to Madison Industries for an enterprise value of C$311 million, Madison completed the acquisition, announced on February 16, 2024.[16][4] The company rebranded as Elevate Healthcare on May 15, 2024.[5] Elevate's 2024 Vimedix brochure said customers could "Pair Vimedix with Microsoft HoloLens 2" and described VimedixAR as using augmented reality to create a three-dimensional panoramic image of the anatomy.[6] As of October 2026, the distributor Promamec still listed "VimedixAR Cardiac and Abdominal Ultrasound Simulation by Elevate Healthcare (Formerly CAE Healthcare), with Microsoft HoloLens", while Elevate's own Vimedix product page described the simulator without mentioning the AR module.[17][18]
Microsoft is winding down support for both headsets. Road to VR reported on October 1, 2024 that Microsoft had told enterprise partners it was discontinuing HoloLens 2, which would keep receiving security updates through December 31, 2027, and that the first-generation HoloLens would get its final servicing update on December 10, 2024; the report noted that no successor headset had been announced.[19]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "CAE Healthcare announces first mixed reality ultrasound simulation solution with Microsoft HoloLens". CIMdata. CAE Healthcare (press release). 2017-01-27. https://www.cimdata.com/zh/industry-summary-articles/item/7576-cae-healthcare-announces-first-mixed-reality-ultrasound-simulation-solution-with-microsoft-hololens. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "CAE Healthcare announces Microsoft HoloLens 2 applications for emergency care, ultrasound and childbirth simulators". CAE. CAE Healthcare. 2020-01-17. https://www.cae.com/media/documents/CAE_HoloLens_2_for_CAE_Ares_CAE_Lucina_CAE_Vimedix_FINAL_EN.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Christina Gsaxner, Jianning Li, Antonio Pepe, Yuan Jin, Jens Kleesiek, Dieter Schmalstieg, Jan Egger (2022-09-06). "The HoloLens in Medicine: A systematic Review and Taxonomy". arXiv preprint 2209.03245 (published in Medical Image Analysis, vol. 85, 2023, article 102757). doi:10.1016/j.media.2023.102757. https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03245. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "CAE Healthcare Joins Madison". Elevate Healthcare. 2024-02-16. https://elevatehealth.net/resources/media-releases/cae-healthcare-joins-madison/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Elevate Healthcare Emerges as Healthcare Simulation Leader Following Acquisition and Rebranding". Elevate Healthcare. 2024-05-15. https://elevatehealth.net/resources/media-releases/elevate-healthcare-emerges-as-healthcare-simulation-leader-following-acquisition-and-rebranding/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Reimagining Ultrasound Education: Vimedix". Medical Simulator (distributor copy). Elevate Healthcare. 2024. https://medical-simulator.com/img/cms/Folletos/Vimedix%20Flyer%202024%20ENG.PDF. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "CAE Healthcare announces first mixed reality ultrasound simulation solution with Microsoft HoloLens". Healthcare IT Today. CAE Healthcare (press release). 2017-01-27. https://www.healthcareittoday.com/?p=18324. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ Halldale Industry Reporter (2017-01-29). "CAE Healthcare announces first mixed reality ultrasound simulation solution with Microsoft HoloLens". Halldale Group. https://www.halldale.com/articles/13269-cae-healthcare-announces-first-mixed-reality-ultrasound-simulation-solution-with-microsoft-hololens. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "CAE Healthcare - Hololens". CAE Healthcare (archived by the Wayback Machine, 29 January 2017). CAE Healthcare. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170129193856/http://caehealthcare.com/hololens. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "CAE merges ultrasound training with holograms". Canadian Healthcare Technology. 2017-02-01. https://www.canhealth.com/?p=5656. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "Mixed reality ultrasound simulator unveiled by CAE Healthcare". Connected Consumer. Osborne Clarke. 2017-02-08. https://connectedconsumer.osborneclarke.com/digital-health/mixed-reality-ultrasound-simulator-unveiled-cae-healthcare/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 "Instructions for using HoloLens with VimedixAR (905K800022 v4)". Manuals+ (hosted copy). CAE. 2017. https://manuals.plus/m/f9a17c871f20df990e431457b3bec710de2d0111d1328a67a271f71d00aa77d6.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "CAE Vimedix: The most innovative ultrasound learning experience". Medical Simulator (distributor copy). CAE Healthcare. 2018. https://medical-simulator.com/folletos/Habiliddaes-tecnicas/Vimedix-Products-Flyer-HR-A4_EN_2018_logo%20MS.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ Lorraine Bardeen (2018-03-08). "How mixed reality is changing the game for healthcare, from performing live surgeries to delivering ultrasounds in 3D". Windows Experience Blog. Microsoft. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/03/08/how-mixed-reality-is-changing-the-game-for-healthcare-from-performing-live-surgeries-to-delivering-ultrasounds-in-3d/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "CAE Healthcare - Hololens". CAE Healthcare (archived by the Wayback Machine, 13 April 2019). CAE Healthcare. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190413010204/https://caehealthcare.com/hololens/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "CAE Sells Its Healthcare Business". RT: The Journal for Respiratory Care Practitioners. 2023-10-30. https://respiratory-therapy.com/products-treatment/industry-regulatory-news/business-news/cae-sells-its-healthcare-business/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "Cardiac and Abdominal echography simulator - Vimedix AR Cardio Abdo - CAE". Promamec. https://promamec.com/en/produits/vimedix-ar-cardio-abdo. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ "Vimedix". Elevate Healthcare. https://elevatehealth.net/vimedix/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2024-10-01). "Microsoft Discontinues HoloLens 2, Support to End in 2027 with No Successor in Sight". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/microsoft-hololens-2-discontinued-support-2027-hololens-3/. Retrieved 2026-10-21.