Virtual world technology works for the best of humankind in this exciting application. Medaverse is just about to launch. Read on to find out what to expect.
Dr. Barb Newman is a practicing physician in New York and a
virtual community developer in Second Life. In early October, she
will be launching a virtual medical environment - The
Medaverse - which combines health and wellness education with
social networking and virtual living.
The first island is Asthma Medaverse and showcases several
exhibits about allergy and asthma. Visitors will find standard
information in text form as they would on typical web pages. What
sets The Medaverse apart though is how this textual information is
presented in conjunction with 3D display and animation. By
immersing into the experience, visitors will gain a deeper
understanding of the anatomy and physiology of health and
disease.
Also important to the concept of The Medaverse is the
development of community to allow a safe and comfortable atmosphere
of mutual support and experience exchange. To achieve this, Dr.
Newman has created an island layout, which will allow visitors a
beautiful virtual backdrop for entertainment and networking. Events
such as musical performances will be planned as will seminars and
other learning geared meetings about general health.
What inspired The Medaverse?
Barb: I have been in private practice for 10
years and have seen an amazing change in how patients use the
Internet. Most patients, regardless of age or educational
background, have done some type of information search before they
come to my office. Studies indicate about 60% of all American
adults use the Internet to gather health information. Extend that
out to the world's population and the numbers are staggering and
will only continue to rise. Given what I have learned as a virtual
community developer where millions of people are using virtual
platforms for entertainment, social connection, business and
educational applications, it seemed natural to bring together all
that I've learned to create a medical virtual world of sorts. The
Medaverse was born.
Why did you pick Asthma and Allergy as the initial
medical project?
Barb: Asthma and Allergy are interrelated so
closely they fit well together. Also, the affected population spans
all age, ethnic and geographic groups. Many people either suffer
from either one of these entities or have a family member or friend
that do. I also didn't want to mirror anything that was already
being done on a large scale. And giant sculpted lungs are cool!
What do you envision for The Medaverse?
Barb: I would like to see companies in the
medical or health fields realize the benefit of incorporating their
brands into virtual communities such as The Medaverse. Partnering
with support groups, manufacturers and anyone aiming to improve
people's wellness can only make the earth a better place. As
technology allows, I would like to develop direct access to 3D
spaces for public and private uses related to health and
wellness.
Maxping says...
This all looks really promising and reminds me of the
development of the web. Where there is content, there are people.
This is exactly the content which is needed to make virtual worlds
more useful. Putting Medaverse into Second Life first is a wise
move as the masses of users are there. When Opensim matures and the
viewers get better - even web based - the people will eventually
move out of Second Life's walled garden. That is a right moment to
move projects like Medaverse on top of Opensim or other open
alternatives.
We recommend that you discuss this article on Think, but if you really want to you can leave a comment right here as well: