On December 5th, 2024, Virtualisurg and Dräger won the prestigious Obsidian Award with the project Dräger Virtuo XR Babyleo: an extended reality (XR) simulator to train medical teams in neonatal ICUs.The obsidian category granted by the 8th AIXR Awards is offered to groundbreaking technological advancements in XR, open to all sectors VR, AR, MR, covering hardware, software, and content creation, recognizing major steps forwards in the industry.
Our solution addresses a critical gap in medical education: combining clinical training with communication and compassion. This is especially vital in neonatal ICUs, where the experience can be deeply traumatic for parents who often feel left out, although research shows that parental involvement reduces anxiety and improves patient outcomes. Our XR simulation addresses that by challenging participants to manage real clinical cases and emergencies while practicing how to engage parents in care, and how to communicate empathetically.
The content and interactions were developed based on scientific literature, expert interviews, and insights from hundreds of parental stories. Notable features include a multi-user mode where a nurse assumes the role of a family member, a chapter dedicated to parents, parental stories narrations, and dialogue training for sensitive topics.
This training is part of a series of XR medical simulators created to revolutionize education with realistic, safe, and humane learning experiences.
