UC San Diego develops XR systems for surgical mentoring and stroke triage

Researchers at UC San Diego have developed two extended reality (XR) systems designed to bridge the gap between specialized medical expertise and remote clinical settings. The systems, known as ARTEMIS and Holo-Stroke, leverage mixed-reality technology to provide immersive telementoring and advanced diagnostic visualization for critical care.

ARTEMIS is a mixed-reality environment built for immersive surgical telementoring. The system allows a remote expert to guide a novice clinician through complex medical procedures in real time. Rather than relying on traditional 2D video feeds, the expert uses 3D annotations, gestures, and synchronous point-and-draw affordances to provide precise instructions. According to Nadir Weibel, a researcher in Computer Science and Engineering, the technology is "like bringing the expert into the room," enabling them to point and annotate in 3D as the procedure unfolds.

Advancing Stroke Diagnostics

Parallel to the surgical mentoring tool, the university developed Holo-Stroke, a holographic telemedicine tool specifically for stroke evaluation. The technology is being commercialized through InSightVue, a company co-founded by Weibel, neurologist Brett Meyer, and PhD candidate Weichen Liu.

InSightVue’s specific application, HoloStroke-CTA, transforms CT angiography data into interactive 3D holograms. This allows stroke teams to collaborate more effectively on vascular anatomy and triage decisions, moving beyond flat imaging to a spatial understanding of a patient's condition during the critical early stages of stroke care.

Shifting the Simulation Paradigm

These projects represent a fundamental shift in how medical simulation is utilized. Traditionally, simulation has served as a training placeholder—a way for students to practice before treating a patient. By integrating these tools into live clinical workflows, UC San Diego is transitioning simulation into a real-time clinical tool.

This evolution allows specialized knowledge to be exported from academic centers to underserved or remote areas. By transporting an expert's perspective via XR, the systems aim to reduce medical errors and accelerate response times for time-sensitive conditions where every minute of delay can result in permanent tissue loss or death.

The Path to Clinical Adoption

While the core technology for both ARTEMIS and Holo-Stroke has been established, the focus now shifts toward broader clinical integration and commercial scaling. The collaboration between the university's Computer Science and Engineering department and its neurology leadership ensures that the tools are developed with direct input from the clinicians who will use them.

Future developments will focus on the refinement of 3D interaction tools and the expansion of the HoloStroke-CTA platform to more hospitals. As these XR systems move from the lab to the bedside, the medical industry will monitor whether holographic collaboration significantly improves patient outcomes compared to traditional telehealth platforms.