{"id":130,"date":"2026-03-19T06:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T06:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medlearn.imperial.ac.uk\/innovation\/?page_id=130"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:55:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:55:51","slug":"cri-healthcare-technology-vr-design","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/medlearn.imperial.ac.uk\/innovation\/projects\/cri-healthcare-technology-vr-design\/","title":{"rendered":"CRI Healthcare Technology: VR Design for Medical Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/g>CRI Healthcare Technology<\/text>VR Design for Medical Students · May 2025<\/text>ShapesXR · WondaVR · MBBS Research Skills<\/text><\/svg><\/div>
VR\/AR · Education<\/span><\/div>

In 2025, Year 2 MBBS students at Imperial London took part in a two-day ShapesXR workshop as part of the Curriculum Research Integrated (CRI) Experiences: Healthcare Technology<\/strong> programme — an MBBS Research Skills initiative placing students in active research roles for a three-week experience. The central question driving the project: How can VR be used to assist students in reinforcing physiology knowledge and developing teamwork?<\/em><\/p>

Students chose between two remote medicine scenarios — hyperbaric medicine or space medicine — and used ShapesXR to design interactive 3D environments reflecting the clinical context they were investigating.<\/p><\/div>

Programme<\/div>
CRI Experiences
Healthcare Technology<\/div><\/div>
Date<\/div>
May 2025
Academic Year 2024–25<\/div><\/div>
Cohort<\/div>
Year 2 MBBS
Phase 1 Students<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Research Question<\/div>

“How can VR be used to assist students in reinforcing physiology knowledge and developing teamwork?”<\/p>

Scenario A<\/div>
Hyperbaric Medicine<\/div>
Diving chambers, pressure physiology, patient scenarios<\/div><\/div>
Scenario B<\/div>
Space Medicine<\/div>
ISS environments, microgravity physiology, remote care<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The Two-Day ShapesXR Workshop<\/h2>

Students had no prior VR or design experience. The workshop was designed to be fully accessible — no coding required. Working in pairs on Meta Quest headsets, they progressed from VR fundamentals through to building and presenting their own interactive medical environments.<\/p>

Day 1: Fundamentals<\/div>
  • • VR navigation and orientation<\/li>
  • • 3D object creation and manipulation<\/li>
  • • Environment design basics<\/li>
  • • Introduction to collaboration in VR<\/li>
  • • Medical context exploration<\/li><\/ul><\/div>
    Day 2: Build & Present<\/div>
    • • Pair project development workshop<\/li>
    • • Build interactive medical environment<\/li>
    • • Focus on collaborative design<\/li>
    • • Peer presentations and feedback<\/li>
    • • Poster assessment briefing<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
      Assessment:<\/strong> Each pair produced a poster showcasing their ShapesXR environment, the medical context addressed, design decisions, potential real-world applications, and reflections on the process.<\/div><\/div>

      Technology<\/h2>
      ShapesXR<\/div>
      Collaborative XR design platform for no-code creation of 3D immersive environments. Used by student pairs to prototype medical simulation spaces in VR.<\/div><\/div>
      WondaVR<\/div>
      Used in the broader CRI research design phase for initial concept exploration and stakeholder engagement prior to the ShapesXR build stage.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

      Team<\/h2>
      AC<\/div>
      Adrian Cowell<\/div>
      ShapesXR Training Design & Delivery<\/div><\/div>
      TP<\/div>
      Dr Tamlyn Peel<\/div>
      Senior Teaching Fellow, MBBS Research Skills Domain Deputy Lead<\/div><\/div>
      AV<\/div>
      Dr Andréia Vargas-Seymour<\/div>
      Senior Teaching Fellow in Educational Development<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

      Student Learning Objectives<\/h2>
      ✓<\/span>Navigate and interact confidently within a shared VR environment<\/span><\/div>
      ✓<\/span>Create and manipulate 3D objects and environments without coding<\/span><\/div>
      ✓<\/span>Apply VR design principles to clinical and remote medicine contexts<\/span><\/div>
      ✓<\/span>Collaborate effectively with peers through shared spatial design<\/span><\/div>
      ✓<\/span>Develop meaningful VR prototypes and present findings to peers<\/span><\/div>
      ✓<\/span>Reflect on design decisions and potential real-world applications<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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