Welcome to the Medical Virtual Reality Center (MVRC) at the University of Pittsburgh.

Patient in the BNAVE*
The MVRC is part of the Raymond E. Jordan Center for Balance Disorders, based in the Department of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The goal of the MVRC is to use virtual reality to examine basic underlying factors contributing to postural control in persons with and without balance dysfunction and to explore new ways of treating balance disorders.

The centerpiece of the MVRC is a virtual reality display room that is large enough for a person to stand in and interact with different virtual environments. This room is called the BNAVE (Balance NAVE Automatic Virtual Environment) and was developed in close collaboration with the Virtual Environments Group at UNC-Charlotte and PublicVR.org.

The MVRC is a multi-disciplinary effort utilizing the talents of a wide variety of medical and engineering specialists, including: neurologists, otolaryngologists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, bioengineers, and computer and information scientists. Many of the team members are actively treating persons with balance and dizziness disorders, and all of the members of the team are engaged in important research in these areas.

The MVRC is supported by the Eye and Ear Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Press play to view video of patient in the VR cave.

*Photo courtesy ©2002 William Boyd

 

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