- In July 2024, Materialise, a leader in medical visualization and 3D printing, acquired FEops, a company specializing in predictive simulation for structural heart interventions. This strategic move aims to combine Materialise's expertise in personalized solutions with FEops' advanced simulation capabilities, providing clinicians with more comprehensive insights into patient anatomy for improved structural heart procedures
- In June 2024, Stratasys Ltd. introduced the J5 Digital Anatomy 3D printer. This new system is designed to meet the growing need for cost-effective and highly accurate anatomical models, supporting hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and research institutions in enhancing patient outcomes, streamlining operations, and accelerating product development cycles
- In April 2022, Alcon launched the Alcon Fidelis Virtual Reality Ophthalmic Surgical Simulator. This portable VR tool is specifically designed for cataract surgery trainees, offering a realistic virtual operating room setting with haptic feedback to accurately replicate the experience of performing cataract surgery. It's integrated within the Alcon Experience Academy
- In September 2021, CAE Healthcare entered into a partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences to advance healthcare technology, education, and research through simulation methodologies. As part of this collaboration, the RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research received recognition as a certified Centre of Excellence, making it the first such designation in Europe
- In March 2023, the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering announced that Professor Yan Liu and Dr. Andrew Hung received a USD 3 million award from the National Institutes of Health. This funding is dedicated to advancing their research on AI tools specifically designed to measure and improve surgeons' technical skills during complex procedures such as radical prostatectomy using deep learning. This highlights a clear trend towards AI for objective and nuanced skill assessment
