The simulator means the model of the human heart can be used in a number of different scenarios – in this case, for exploring using a VR set-up
Representing the advances of its Simulia simulation modelling software on the 3DExperience platform, Dassault Systèmes has announced the commercial availability of its Living Heart Project.
A scientifically accurate 3D simulator of a four-chamber human heart, it is the first product of its kind.
The success of the technology further pushes Dassault’s view of the future whereby 3D ‘Digital Twins’ of everything will exist to run realistic virtual simulation tests on.
“It was imagined as a bold vision to try to embody many of the concepts that our brand has been talking about, that sometimes are hard to really imagine coming together,” said Dr. Steve Levine, senior director of Product Strategy for Simulia.
“We wanted to find a project that showed our multi-scale and multi-physics capability, and demonstrate how we can bring together something of that breadth and an unprecedented range of technologies.”
Formally announced in 2014, the project has since leveraged crowdsourcing of its 45 current members to build the models.
Members include regulatory science focused organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC), as well as technology providers, cardiologists, medical device manufacturers and hospitals.
Medical devices can be inserted into the simulator to study their influence on cardiac function, validate their efficacy, and predict reliability under a range of operating conditions. For example, coronary stents can be evaluated for optimal type, size, and placement location to achieve the best performance.
