Dräger and VirtualiSurg receive Obsidian Award for Babyleo XR extended reality simulator.

Rhea-AI Summary

Dräger (DGWPF) and VirtualiSurg have been awarded the inaugural Obsidian Award for their Babyleo XR extended reality simulator, designed for NICU medical team training. The project, developed through a collaboration that began in 2021, combines clinical training with communication and compassion skills for healthcare professionals.

The simulator features multi-user functionality, parent-focused content, and dialogue training for sensitive topics. The training content was developed based on expert interviews, scientific literature, and hundreds of parental stories. The award ceremony took place on December 5, 2024, in Rotterdam during Immersive Tech Week Congress, where the project competed alongside tech giants Meta and HTC.

Dräger, an international medical and safety technology company founded in 1889, generated global sales of approximately EUR 3 billion in 2022 and operates in over 190 countries with more than 14,000 employees.

Positive

• Won prestigious inaugural Obsidian Award for innovative medical training technology
• Strong global presence with operations in 190+ countries
• Substantial annual revenue of EUR 3 billion (2022)
• Strategic partnership with VirtualiSurg expanding training solutions across care areas

Negative

• None.

Award honors groundbreaking innovations in extended reality across reality platforms, spanning hardware, software and content creation

TELFORD, Pa., March 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dräger and VirtualiSurg won the first-ever Obsidian Award for their Dräger Virtuo XR Babyleo project, an extended reality simulator created to train medical teams in NICUs. The award is organized by the Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR), an international organization dedicated to promoting and supporting extended reality (XR) technologies, which include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).

"Our solution addresses a critical gap in medical education by combining clinical training with communication..."

Dräger Virtuo XR Babyleo Simulation takes NICU training to a new level
Having complementary expertise, Dräger and VirtualiSurg began collaborating in 2021 to create a comprehensive global offering of immersive training for anesthesia, resuscitation, and intensive care.

"Our solution addresses a critical gap in medical education by combining clinical training with communication and compassion," said President and CEO for Draeger, Inc., Lothar Thielen. "These factors are especially vital in neonatal ICUs, where the experience can be deeply traumatic for parents. Research shows that parental involvement reduces anxiety and improves patient outcomes, but parents often feel left out of the care process. Our XR simulation addresses this challenge by enabling medical staff to manage real clinical cases and emergencies – while practicing how to engage parents in care, and teaching staff how to communicate with empathy."

"Our team of experts in immersive technologies shares this vision by placing humans and life at the heart of its innovations," said Nicolas Mignan, Founder and CEO of VirtualiSurg. "To transform healthcare professional training, it is essential to integrate both clinical expertise and the emotional dimension of care. The realism of our scenarios stems from intensive dialog with experts throughout our co-development process. Through this collaborative approach, we design XR solutions that enable caregivers to train on realistic cases while developing essential communication and empathy skills."

In addition to being based on expert interviews, content and interactions for BabyLeo XR Simulation were developed based on scientific literature and insights from hundreds of parental stories. Key features include a multi-user mode where a nurse assumes the role of a family member, a chapter dedicated to parents, parental story narrations, and dialog training for sensitive topics.

This training is part of a series of XR medical simulators created to revolutionize education with realistic, safe, and compassionate learning experiences. Dräger and VirtualiSurg are working to expand their scenarios across many care areas, making experiences even more immersive, and ultimately helping to create a healthcare training ecosystem.

First-ever Obsidian Award
While 2024 was the 8^th edition of the XR Awards, AIXR created the Obsidian Award for this edition. The Obsidian Award salutes innovations in extended reality (XR) across virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) platforms and spans hardware, software and content creation.

Rather than having strict criteria, the Obsidian Award celebrates advancements that push XR technology or applications to new heights and recognizes significant industry progress. The award jury is made up of international experts in extended reality.

The ceremony took place on December 5, 2024 in Rotterdam, in parallel with Immersive Tech Week Congress. Dräger and VirtualiSurg submitted their application in June 2024 and were selected as finalists in September 2024. Other finalists in this category included global tech giants Meta, with its game Asgard's Wrath 2 and HTC, which developed a VR headset for the ISS as a tool for astronauts. The AIXR competition is organized around 12 prize-giving ceremonies. The Babyleo XR Simulation was also a finalist in the Health Solution of the Year category.

Dräger. Technology for Life.
Dräger is a leading international medical and safety technology company. Our products protect, support and save lives. Founded in Lübeck, Germany in 1889, Dräger generated global sales of around EUR 3 billion in 2022. The Lübeck-based company is represented in more than 190 countries and employs more than 14,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.draeger.com 

About VirtualiSurg
Founded in Paris, France in 2017, VirtualiSurg is a world leader in the development of immersive simulations dedicated to medical and surgical training. Their mission is to improve patient outcomes by redefining knowledge-sharing and technical mastery on a global scale. The company has international operations in Paris, Montreal, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Tokyo.

Contact
Communications: Melanie Kamann, Tel. +49 451 882-3202, melanie.kamann@draeger.com
Press Contact North America: Laura Edwards, Tel. +1 215 565-5868, laura.edwards@draeger.com
Investor Relations: Thomas Fischler, Tel. +49 451 882-2685, thomas.fischler@draeger.com

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SOURCE Draeger

FAQ

What is the Babyleo XR simulator by DGWPF and how does it improve NICU training?

Babyleo XR is an extended reality simulator that combines clinical training with communication skills, enabling medical staff to practice real clinical cases while learning to engage parents and communicate with empathy in NICU settings.

How did DGWPF develop the content for the Babyleo XR simulator?

Content was developed through expert interviews, scientific literature review, and insights from hundreds of parental stories, ensuring comprehensive and realistic training scenarios.

What features does the DGWPF Babyleo XR simulator include for parent interaction?

It includes multi-user mode for role-playing, dedicated parent chapters, parental story narrations, and dialogue training for sensitive topics.

What was DGWPF's competition for the 2024 Obsidian Award?

DGWPF competed against Meta's Asgard's Wrath 2 and HTC's VR headset for the ISS in the inaugural Obsidian Award category.