An opportunity to try virtual knee surgery

This flash file — turn on your sound — will walk you step-by-step interactively how to replace a failing knee joint. Virtually. Maybe this isn’t high on your list of things to learn how to do, but I found the experience educational and a little fun. I got stuck in the middle, but maybe you’ll be more doctor material than me. Kind of reminded me of the Nintendo Wii game Trauma Center Second Opinion which has received above average ratings from the various gaming rags.

There is still considerable interest in using games to educate. A version of this would work good in Second Life, has anybody done anything like this before? In a way it’s like building the Intel chopper. Just think moving prims and much more realistic 3D than it does in a 2D Flash.

To piggyback on the question Harold asked earlier with Lack of Imagination? there continue to be education opportunities like this in virtual worlds like Second Life. There are — or at least were — a couple different education islands.

The other day I learned about a social networking site for doctors to discuss difficult cases with other doctors called Sermo. 15,000+ doctors are signed up. They don’t have any virtual reality going on there, but it would be interesting to see a virtual component of some sort if or how it could work.

Yesterday Bill Gates imagined a future with a virtual reality alongside the real world. I think we’re seeing this already in more than the beginning stages and it will be exciting to watch the next 5-10 years unfold. It feels a little like the early days of the web again.