This report describes preliminary research and experiments towards the collaborative viewing and manipulation of three-dimensional computer models of human anatomy and physiology on low-end computers using limited bandwidth. A proposed system is described using a set of recommended requirements. Experiments that were conducted to explore the feasibility of some aspects of the proposed system are also described. The resulting experimental system was implemented on networked 100 MHz and 90 MHz Pentium-based computers enhanced with 3-D graphics accelerators. Geometry for the anatomy models were stored in Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) version 1.0 files, which could be accessed remotely over the Internet. Some models were later implemented as VRML 2.0 files, which enabled the storage of simple physiological behaviors with the geometry. The use of VRML, the de facto standard file format for 3-D modeling on the Web, in a medical collaboration system would help make such systems, which have been typically implemented on special-purpose hardware with proprietary anatomical and physiological models, much more accessible.

Virtual reality simulations in medicine present a variety of technical challenges that differ from those associated with flight, space, and battlefield simulations. One imposing barrier to the widespread adoption of medical simulators is the lack of software tools that could enable medical content developers to author simulations in their respective disciplines. Our experience in developing custom standalone virtual reality applications in medicine has provided the basis for the development of Teleos™, a software toolkit for authoring interactive simulations in medicine.