Realizing that medical professionals would need remote internal training during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders at the Providence healthcare organization began creating immersive videos. They now are making more of the 3D videos and sharing them on a smartphone app to help patients learn physical therapy exercises.
No longer do therapy patients need to rely on printed sheets, 2D videos or caregiver sketches. An added benefit is the videos can be shared among patients at the healthcare system’s 51 hospitals.
It all starts on a small stage at Providence Office Park in Portland, Oregon. There, 20 Intel® RealSense™ depth-sensing cameras capture 360-degree action in what is called “volumetric capture.” The footage from each camera is sent to a computer powered by an Intel® Xeon® processor that runs Evercoast’s cutting-edge software to convert billions of pixels into a 3D immersive virtual environment that can be manipulated by the viewer to see from nearly any angle.
“This is one way for us not only to drive an innovative approach to the future of learning internally, but then eventually provide that out to our communities and our patients as well,” said Darci Hall, chief talent officer at Providence.
Providence built the original studio in 2021, using funding from the Intel Pandemic Response Technology Initiative. And the team received a second grant from Intel in 2022 to work with the Gronstedt Group, a leader in augmented and virtual reality development, to create the health system’s first smartphone app.
By automating patient learning with immersive experiences, Providence expects lower costs, better caregiver experiences and improved patient health outcomes.
More Context: Providence Delivers Immersive Learning with AR (Case Study)