ORamaVR is a science-based deep technology business that works to provide innovative solutions across the healthcare simulation and medical training fields. Using cutting-edge virtual reality clinical simulation tools, the company offers a proprietary, psychomotor, gamified multi-user VR software platform that is based on state-of-the-art research by world-renowned scientists.
The vision of ORamaVR is to change current medical education standards and improve health outcomes through the use of virtual reality in medicine, by providing hands-on medical and surgical training.
ORamaVR was founded in 2016 in Heraklion, Greece, as a spin-off company of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas. Demonstrating the foundation of the company, ORAMA means “vision” in ancient Greek.
Inspired by 19th century geometric algebra, 20th century “12 principles of animation” and as a spin-off of FORTH-ICS, ORamaVR developed a character interpolation engine and rapid prototyping action software patterns. The software platforms are for multiplayer, co-op featuring multiple users. They also offer an analytics engine with cloud-based user assessment.
These ORamaVR software platforms further provide gamified rapid prototyping based on geometric algebra and an educational curriculum designed to enhance knowledge and skills. Another feature of the platforms is semantic representation of medical operations.
Today, ORamaVR is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Here, one of the company’s co-founders and CTO, Professor George Papagiannakis, earned his PhD in 2006 to meet the growing demand for medical VR training software. ORamaVR is also present in Silicon Valley, California, due to close collaborations with Stanford University and SRI International.
Helping to spread the ORamaVR’s mission and the use of company VR simulation solutions across educational environments, the company’s VR software platform has been presented at a variety of medical simulation conferences, exhibitions and shows, such as those hosted by SimGHOSTS, INACSL, ASPiH, SESAM, and the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSiH).
ORamaVR and COVID-19 Response
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role that healthcare professionals play in protecting patients’ health. At the same time, the virus has also exposed the global shortage of healthcare workers and the need for upskilling and reskilling. ORamaVR is contributing to bridging this gap by extending the company’s proprietary technology, MAGES, a hyper-realistic VR-based software platform for accelerated medical training and assessment.
ORamaVR has already established successful partnerships with a number of healthcare facilities, both around the globe and in Western Switzerland. It has recently launched an intelligent clinical simulation for COVID-19 training, in cooperation with Bern University Hospital Inselspital, New York University, and VR company HTC Vive. Doctors, nurses and students will be rapidly upskilled and reskilled in swab testing and protective equipment measures through an engaging, intelligent, virtual gamified experience that facilitates critical skill transfer from the virtual to the real world.
The Emergency Medicine Department of Bern Inselspital and ORamaVR have jointly developed a new learning module to train more than 300 of their residents and undergraduate students in Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta, or REBOA, an area that suffers from a significant training gap. ORamaVR also works closely with the Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Training in Surgery (SFITS) in Geneva, a world-leading center organizing and hosting surgical and interventional training for hospitals, medical associations and private companies.
ORamaVR Software Solution Benefits
The ORamaVR solutions benefit individual users, medical schools and universities and medical device companies in a number of ways. Individual users benefit from the technology because the VR simulation tools help them train from the comfort of their home or office, track and develop their personal skills and total user reports available online.
The ORamaVR platform benefits medical schools and universities by allowing up to seven remote users the ability to simultaneously collaborate. The company’s solutions work to further minimize errors, reduce operating room times and assess via objective analytics. Other benefits medical schools and universities obtain when employing ORamaVR technologies are that the tools come at an affordable cost, but offer a high-quality, curriculum-based, education approach.
The benefit of using ORamaVR software for medical device companies is that the technology can complement existing training labs and improve Rep/PA comprehension. Additionally, the ORamaVR solutions are portable marketing tools that promote industry branding.
ORamaVR Healthcare Simulation Products
One of ORamaVR’s virtual reality simulation products is the ORAMA-TKA, a simulated complete total knee arthroplasty operation. This product follows the medial parapatellar approach and teaches learners all the steps of the operation. Using the ORAMA-TKA, learners can train themselves in single player mode. Educators can also use the tool to teach their residents in co-op mode through this hyper-realistic application.
Another tool, the ORAMA-THA is a virtual reality simulation of a complete total hip arthroplasty operation. This virtual anatomy solution follows the posterior incision approach and teaches learners all the steps of the operation. By engaging with the ORAMA-THA medical simulation solution, learners can also train themselves in single player mode. Educators are able to teach learners in co-op mode through this hyper-realistic application as well.
ORAMA-CO-OP is an add-on for an ORAMA operation which allows learners to operate on a patient with others from anywhere around the world. This solution is especially helpful as a teaching tool for surgeons looking to educate their residents.
MAGES SDK is ORamaVR’s very own SDK used to develop all of the company’s operations. Using this tool, learners can create their own operations, or other teaching applications in virtual reality using the SDK. A sample application with a Unity project is included to help get learners started using the solution.
Click Here to Connect to Leading Healthcare Simulation Vendors Like ORamaVR
Another solution offered by ORamaVR is the ORAMA-ENDO, a virtual reality simulation of the endotracheal intubation procedure. The task involves all steps for patient oxygenation before anesthesia. Then, the ORAMA-ETS is a virtual reality simulation of various emergency trauma scenarios. The task presented by this tool involves patient assistance throughout different emergency scenarios.
Other solutions include ORAMA-DENTAL, ORAMA-SKILLS, ORAMA-REBOA and ORAMA-CVRSB. ORAMA-DENTAL is a virtual reality simulation of the dental implant placement. The actions presented by the ORAMA-DENTAL involve the placement of two dental implants in an edentulous lower jaw, including drilling and preparation.
ORAMA-SKILLS is a virtual reality simulation of the basic clinical skills. The actions involve all steps to complete a surgical suture until all body tissues are held together. Surgical knots must be applied to secure the sutures. ORAMA-REBOA is a virtual reality simulation of the resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta, and ORAMA-CVRSB is a virtual reality simulation for COVID-19 training.
