Dynamic VRML for simulated training in medicine

Medicine is a difficult thing to learn. Experimenting with real patients should not be the only option - simulation deserves special attention. The Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML), as a tool to build virtual objects and scenes, has a good record of educational applications in medicine, especially for static and animated visualisations of body parts and organs. However, to create computer simulations resembling situations in real environments, the demanded level of interactivity and dynamics is difficult to achieve. In this paper, we describe some approaches and techniques which we used to push the limits of the current VRML technology further towards a dynamic 3D representation of virtual environments. Our demonstration is based on the implementation of a virtual baby model, whose vital signs can be controlled from an external Java application. The main contribution of this work is a proposal for a modified VRML timer/sensor implementation, which greatly improves the overall control of system performance.