Written By: Jack Robertson
Today was an incredibly exciting day exploring Bilbao, especially as we visited several cutting-edge medical facilities. One place that really stood out was the BioBizkaia Health Research Institute. There, we heard from several employees about how research and modern technology are transforming healthcare faster than ever before. While everything we saw was fascinating, the institute’s virtual reality (VR) lab left a particularly strong impression on me.
The Virtual Reality Lab
The VR team at BioBizkaia is small, consisting of just three people including a software engineer, a 3D modeling artist, and a project manager. Despite their size, they’ve developed several innovative tools using virtual reality to support healthcare workers in both training and practice. In their presentation for us, they shared several of their existing projects.
The first project was a simulation set in a fictional hospital. In the program, a randomly selected patient (from a pool of 74 with unique conditions) approaches the front desk. The user can ask a range of preset questions to understand their symptoms, check vital signs, and assess the urgency of their condition. At the end, the program gives feedback on the accuracy and speed of your evaluation. It’s designed to train doctors and nurses to think critically and act quickly, which are skills that are essential in their field.
Another project they showed us focused more on surgical preparation. In this program, surgeons can upload real models of a patient’s organ into the program, and then interact with it in 3D. The software includes tools to toggle component visibility, adjust the model’s rotation, and explore the organ’s condition in detail. This lets surgeons study a patient’s specific case in depth before an operation, and even collaborate with colleagues around the world by examining the same model together. This program is built to serve as an invaluable tool for surgeons when planning complex surgical procedures.
Importance
What made this experience especially exciting for me is that, even though I study mechanical engineering, I’ve always had a strong interest in programming and biomedical innovation. Watching a small, passionate team build tools that have such a real impact on healthcare was incredibly inspiring. Normally, nurses and doctors train using actors or mannequins, but these VR programs offer a much more realistic and accessible way to practice, no matter where they are.
This experience really opened my eyes to how powerful technology can be in improving lives, and it got me thinking about the kind of innovations I want to create in my own career. Learning about these projects sparked a new level of motivation for me, and genuinely excites me to see how healthcare keeps evolving as technology continues to move forward.