In this paper we describe an approach to interactively render ultrasound images for a transesophageal echocardiogram procedure. Our prototype features an animated 3D model of a human heart that is used to synthesize virtual ultrasound images in real-time. The user can control the probe and interact with the simulator via a GUI or with a haptics device. The ultrasound plane is rendered in a classical 2D view but can also be displayed in the context of the 3D heart model.

In this paper, we begin from the premise that for science to progress, experiments must be repeatable. Similarly, for enterprises in a knowledge-driven economy, such as clinical medicine, the portable and repeatable presentation of visualization views is paramount. Yet both science and capitalism also rely on the innovation of researchers to explore and test new variables and models. We consider how this natural tension plays out with respect to immersive volume rendering and the open standards and open source movement. We first discuss the challenges of volume rendering in immersive environments and then describe how the ISO standard X3D meets these. Then, we provide examples with an implementation of these specifications in the open source toolkit H3D and conclude that extensibility and repeatability are not mutually exclusive. Finally, we reflect on the implications for future research programs in this area.

In this paper we summarize the progress of the Web3D scene graph model, and associated standards, specifically Extensible 3D (X3D) in the domain of medical simulation. Historically, the Web3D nodesets have focused on the representation and rendering of point, line or surface geometry. More recently, significant progress in X3D Volume rendering has been made available through the co-operative DICOM work item, n-Dimensional Presentation States. However, here we outline the need for a standard for simulation meshes and review several related approaches. As a result, we propose preliminary requirements for a simulation mesh standard and provide several use case scenarios of how Web3D and haptic technologies can aid the fulfillment of these requirements. We conclude with an X3D proposal to describe simulation meshes for soft (deformable) bodies.

The ever increasing size and complexity of volumetric data in a wide range of disciplines makes it useful to augment volume visualization tools with alternative modalities. Studies have shown that introducing haptics can significantly increase both exploration speed and precision. It is also capable of conveying material properties of data and thus has great potential to improve user performance in volume data exploration. In this paper we describe how recent advances in volume haptics can be used to build haptic modes—building blocks for haptic schemes. These modes have been used as base components of a toolkit allowing for more efficient development of haptic prototypes and applications. This toolkit allows interactive construction, configuration and fine-tuning of both visual and haptic representations of the data. The technology is also used in a pilot study to determine the most important issues and aspects in haptic volume data interaction and exploration, and how the use of haptic modes can facilitate the implementation of effective haptic schemes.