MAGES 4.0: Accelerating the World’s Transition to VR Training and Democratizing the Authoring of the Medical Metaverse
Paul Zikas, Antonis Protopsaltis, Nick Lydatakis, Mike Kentros, Stratos Geronikolakis, Steve Kateros, Manos Kamarianakis, Giannis Evangelou, Achilleas Filippidis, Eleni Grigoriou, Dimitris Angelis, Michail Tamiolakis, Michael Dodis, George Kokiadis, John Petropoulos, Maria Pateraki, George Papagiannakis
Abstract
In this work, we propose MAGES 4.0, a novel software development kit to accelerate the creation of collaborative medical training applications in virtual/augmented reality (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 VR/AR 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 With MAGES we propose an upgrade to the outdated 150-year-old master-apprentice medical training model.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 nutshell, the following novelties: 1) 5G edge-cloud remote rendering and physics dissection layer, 2) realistic real-time simulation of organic tissues as soft-bodies under 10 ms, 3) a highly realistic cutting and tearing algorithm, 4) neural network assessment for user profiling and, 5) a VR recorder to record and replay or debrief the training simulation from any perspective.