Hardware setup

Use Medicalholodeck across a wide range of hardware, from high-performance systems with stereoscopic 3D displays to standard 2D screens and Virtual Reality devices.

Hardware Image

Hardware overview

Setup
Hardware
DICOM
Segmentation
Advantages
PRO

VR plus stereoscopic display
High performance PC with VR headset, stereoscopic 3D display, or 2D display
Acer SpatialLabs Samsung Odyssey 3D Barco Eonis Meta Quest Pico 4 Ultra Varjo

Full resolution

High performance

Local

remote

Parallel use of stereoscopic displays, VR headsets, and 2D display

Maximum accuracy

High performance

Local segmentation

EDU

Standalone Virtual Reality
Standalone VR headset
Meta Quest Pico 4 Ultra

Small resolution

Medium performance

No segmentation

Low hardware costs

Easy setup

EDU

Mobile device
Apple iOS device
iPad, iPhone

Medium resolution

Medium performance

No segmentation

Mobile

Light weight

PRO

Remote Rendering
Remote Rendering server
Meta Quest

Full resolution

High performance

Remote

Maximum visual accuracy

High performance

Low hardware costs

VR plus stereoscopic display

Medicalholodeck runs Virtual Reality, glasses-free stereoscopic 3D displays, and standard 2D screens from the same computer at the same time. One workstation performs all rendering and computation and outputs the same spatial dataset to all connected displays in real time.

In a PC-based setup, a dedicated graphics card and sufficient memory enable real-time 3D rendering and smooth handling of large datasets. This removes the limits of standalone devices and allows high-quality visualization of complex spatial data. Multiple high-resolution DICOM datasets can be explored in the same scene for detailed analysis and annotation.

Advanced workflows are supported on the same system without switching hardware. These include AI-based segmentation, simultaneous visualization of multiple imaging modalities, and high-quality lighting and shading. This configuration is suited for hospitals, clinics, and educational institutions where accuracy, dataset size, and computational headroom are essential.

Glasses-free stereoscopic 3D screens enable spatial visualization without headsets or glasses. Using eye tracking and directional light projection, they deliver separate images to each eye, creating a stable depth impression. DICOM data, segmentations, and 3D models appear to extend in front of and behind the display with clear spatial depth.

Compatible glasses-free 3D displays include Acer SpatialLabs, Samsung Odyssey 3D, and Barco Eonis. These systems are calibrated for high-resolution medical imagery and precise depth rendering.

What is a stereoscopic display?

A 3D display is a screen that presents images with depth, allowing viewers to perceive three dimensions – height, width, and depth – instead of a flat 2D image. It does this by showing slightly different images to each eye, enabling the brain to reconstruct a spatial, three-dimensional view of objects.

At the same time, VR headsets connected to the same system provide immersive access to the same spatial scene while maintaining individual viewpoints. One user can work in VR while others follow or interact with the same case on stereoscopic or 2D screens. No data duplication or workflow interruption is required, and all views remain synchronized.

Standalone Virtual Reality

Standalone headsets provide easy, location-independent access to immersive VR without external hardware. All processing runs directly on the VR device, making them simple to deploy and cost-efficient, especially in educational environments with multiple users.

Medicalholodeck supports standalone devices such as Meta Quest and Pico 4 Ultra. These self-contained headsets combine display, tracking, input, and computing in one device and can be used in classrooms, skills labs, or training spaces with minimal setup.

Users can explore anatomical models, basic DICOM datasets, and teaching content directly in VR. However, performance is limited by mobile hardware. Large DICOM datasets, complex scenes, and AI-based processing require PC-based or remote-rendering for full performance.

Mobile device

Medicalholodeck supports mobile augmented reality on iOS devices such as iPad and iPhone through a dedicated AR app. DICOM data and 3D models can be placed directly into the real environment, allowing users to view, rotate, and scale anatomical structures in physical space.

Interaction is performed through touch gestures and device movement, making the experience intuitive and accessible without additional hardware. Users can walk around anatomical models, change their scale, and inspect structures from different perspectives, supporting spatial understanding in a familiar environment.

Mobile AR is best suited for quick case reviews, teaching demonstrations, and patient communication. While mobile hardware allows convenient access to 3D medical data, very large datasets, advanced lighting, and AI-based segmentation require PC-based or remote-rendered systems for full performance.

Remote Rendering

In a Remote Rendering setup, the VR headset runs locally while computation and rendering are performed on a remote high-performance server. Images are streamed to the headset in real time, enabling access to complex spatial datasets without requiring local high-end hardware.

This allows lightweight or standalone devices to display large DICOM datasets, digital twins, anatomical models, and AI-based segmentations with consistent image quality and performance.

Remote Rendering enables flexible deployment across rooms, buildings, or institutions. Centralized servers handle computation, updates, and data storage, while users connect from VR devices or workstations to collaborate on the same spatial data in real time.