The Virtual Reality Medical Center is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: A Mixed Reality System for Cognitive Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury. The abstract given for this project is as follows: The goal of this SBIR Phase I project is to plan, design, build, and test a true 3D stereo mixed-reality (MR) system prototype that will enhance cognitive functions in TBI soldiers by inducing neuroplasticity through interaction with an enriched environment. TBI, the signature wound of the Iraq War, is the most common combat-related injury and results in disturbances in attention, memory loss, and executive function. Comprehensive-holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation approaches are effective for remediation of attention deficits and memory impairments, but extremely costly. Finding alternative, cost-effective ways to rehabilitate soldiers would help save the military and government an enormous amount of money. The Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) will work with The Media Convergence Lab (MCL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and a TBI expert consultant to create a haptics-enhanced true 3D stereo mixed reality system designed to stimulate and improve cognitive functions in warfighters that suffer from TBI with the end goal of helping them return to service.

Head Rehab is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: Head Rehab VR System. The abstract given for this project is as follows: The objective of this project is to develop a conceptual framework, design, produce and preliminary evaluate a HeadRehab's prototype virtual reality (VR) application in order: a) to proper assess functional impairments due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), via identification of changes in the brain functions, as a first step of patients' rehabilitation protocol; and b) to facilitate re-acquisition of fundamental cognitive and behavioral neural substrates temporary disabled due to TBI. First, we will link TBI symptoms to their underlying mechanisms and will produce VR application (computer graphics modules) to examine how cognitive (i.e., memory, attention and spatial awareness) and behavioral (i.e., visual-kinesthetic sense involved in postural control) neural substrates are interactively affected by the TBI. Second, within the concept of "neuroplasticity" we will ultimately develop a fully immersive VR prototype incorporated with "VR-driven feedback" and suitable interface between TBI patients and computer generated 3-D "enriched environment. Third, an executive task controller will be elaborated allowing a) the rehabilitation therapist to constantly challenge the patients and maintain his or her optimal level of effort and b) the TBI patient to effectively interact with precisely controlled VR environment contingent upon his/her intact physical capabilities. Fully developed HeadRehab's VR prototype may be applied for solders, athletes and ordinary civilians suffering from a wide range of TBI (from mild to severe), and will be most beneficial for patients experiencing long-lasting cognitive-motor and balance residual disabilities.

Archiemd is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: Multiplayer Online Simulation Environment for Training Trauma Teams. The abstract given for this project is as follows: Medical professionals have limited opportunity to gain relevant experience in surgical treatment of battlefield injuries. Battlefield injuries are unique in their complexity and severity; similar cases are only rarely seen in the civilian sector. This poses a fundamental readiness issue for Army, Air Force, and Navy medical personnel. With limited opportunities to develop hands-on experience prior to deployment, an alternate training paradigm is required. ArchieMD, Inc. proposes to develop a 3d multiplayer online simulation environment for training trauma teams. The proposed environment will enable a separate first-person point-of-view for each member of the trauma team. Trainees will communicate via voice chat during the simulation, and sessions will be recorded for after action reviews. The proposed system will be SCORM compliant, web-deliverable, application that enable trauma teams to train on-demand regardless of duty location. The training will be aligned with scenarios used on patient simulators. This will enable extensive practice in an online environment to perfect cognitive skill and team interaction, followed by more limited training on a patient simulator to master psychomotor skills. Archiemd is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: A Framework for Developing Micro-Games for Preventive Medicine. The abstract given for this project is as follows: ArchieMD, Inc. proposes to develop a framework for rapidly creating military-relevant micro-games. The utility of the framework will be validated through the creation of a micro-game targeted at reducing leishmaniasis among military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. These games SCORM compliant web-deliverable games will be created using Adobe Flash. The objective is to present preventive health information in a manner that engages users' interest During Phase I, we will develop an initial micro-game entitles Beat the Baghdad Boil. Beat the Baghdad Boil is targeted at reducing leishmaniasis among military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Archiemd is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: An Augmented Reality Training System for Treatment of Battlefield Injuries. The abstract given for this project is as follows: ArchieMD, Inc. and Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI) propose to integrate ArchieMD's multimedia medical education technology with METI's patient simulator technology using mixed reality goggles. Using mixed reality goggles, 3D imagery will be superimposed over the view of the user. This will enable the user to get additional 3D didactic information while using the patient simulator. During Phase I, we will demonstrate the ability to superimpose 3D graphic simulations of tension pneumothorax over a METI mannequin shell. This SBIR project will demonstrate proof of concept of this revolutionary new teaching model. Archiemd is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: A 3-D Multimedia Training System for Surgical Treatment Battlefield Orthopedic Injuries. The abstract given for this project is as follows: Orthopedic injuries have comprised a majority of combat injuries in most recent conflicts. These orthopedic injuries are significantly different than those experienced in the civilian sector, making it difficult for military orthopedic surgeons to develop and sustain battlefield-relevant surgical skills. ArchieMD, Inc. proposes to develop a 3-D Multimedia Training System for Treatment Battlefield Orthopedic Injuries. This training system integrate visual 3-D computer models, video recording of the actual treatments, and an interactive virtual patient to develop a comprehensive, effective training tool for Army, Air Force, and Navy medical personnel. We believe this will be highly effective given the nature of both the visual component and the 'hands on' component of medical education. The resultant system will include the input of subject-matter experts and be rigorously evaluated to determine its didactic value throughout the development process.

Wowiwe Instruction is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: An Environmental Geology Game for Discovery-oriented Science and Mathematics Education. Their research project aims to solve a growing need for environmental science education. The project focusses on the development of a dynamic, group-based, immersive virtual environment (IVE). The primary innovation of the project lies at the intersection of three fruitful lines of research. First, IVEs show improved learning gains in science classrooms. Second, group learning is increasingly important, both from an employer's viewpoint and an educator's viewpoint. Finally, the fast-paced, immediate nature of our society requires individuals to respond quickly and effectively to dynamic events. The combination of these three will lead to a new, and potentially more intrinsically motivating, method of teaching environmental science. A study will be performed to determine the efficacy of the approach in terms of both learning outcomes and attitudinal measures, using high school students in a controlled laboratory setting. The 'degree of casual adoption' among high school students will be assessed through the 'landing site' developed for a related project. At the conclusion of the project, the IVE will be a fully-contained experimentally validated software package feasible for Phase II distribution to a number of markets. In the recent OECD international study of developed countries, the US ranked 21st in the percentage of the population with a high proficiency of environmental science skills and knowledge. This presents a marketable need for experimentally validated pedagogical software solutions that align with state and national standards. Meanwhile, environmental issues are reaching the forefront of national thought. This provides unique commercial opportunities for environmentally focused IVE software. Key players in the market include educational publishers and software developers. Competing technology is mainly non-immersive video clips, simple one-off activities, or in the best case, static games with a single outcome. Our solution is better than products developed by these companies because it leads the way by bringing three emerging technologies to bear on an environmental science curriculum. This project is tailored to take advantage of the One-to-One Initiative arising in states such as Michigan and Maine, through a combination of exit screens and landing sites with potential to be accessed by thousands of students per year. The software developed from this project will be purchased by high school students interested in environmental science and 'green' issues currently topical, and by parents interested in providing their children a more complete and socially relevant science education.

Kjaya is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: Semi-Autonomous Adaptive Neural and Genetic Segmentation of Medical Images. Their Phase I project will implement a physician-assisted, real-time adaptive system for the segmentation of anatomical structures in 3D medical image data. Medical image segmentation seeks to change the representation of an anatomical structure, making it more easily analyzed. Because of the extreme variability of these structures in biological systems, current idiosyncratic manual methods currently in use are tedious, time consuming, and error prone. Image segmentation cannot in general be programmatically solved. The proposed system is a Neural Network (NN) based adaptation of the individual data using parallel Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and coupled with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based adaptation across GPU cores. The system will build a diagnostically useful segmentation of the anatomical feature within seconds from an area of interest outlined by a physician using a Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Fast growth in medical imaging overwhelms available diagnosticians. An intuitive and inexpensive system to quickly and accurately deliver diagnostic relevant segmentation of medical images offers tremendous commercial value. Currently, each scan requires approximately 50 minutes of manual preparation. The diagnosis and treatment of an estimated 20 percent of diseases benefit from medical imaging. Newer scanning technologies have increased in resolution, but such techniques have not made segmenting easier or faster. The proposed method will enable more diagnostics to be done with the quality controlled directly by physicians.

Mercator MedSystems is a medical technology company that focuses on the treatment of peripheral artery disease. The company offers catheter-guided, microfluid injection systems for site-specific, non-systemic delivery of therapeutic agents directly across any blood vessel, providing efficient and targeted treatment for vascular diseases. The technology also finds application in the treatment of hypertension, oncology, and regenerative medicine. Mercator MedSystems was formerly known as EndoBionics. It was founded in 1999 and is based in Emeryville, California.