7 Best XR Platforms for Medical Education and Simulation in 2026
Medical schools and health systems are replacing traditional mannequin labs with XR simulation. These are the seven best platforms reshaping medical education in 2026.
Medical education has historically depended on rare patient exposure, costly mannequin simulators, and cadaveric labs. XR is changing that equation by providing unlimited, repeatable, measurable simulation across the full spectrum of clinical scenarios. From anatomy exploration to emergency response drills, XR platforms are now woven into the curricula of leading medical schools and health system training departments. Here are the seven best XR platforms for medical education and simulation in 2026.
1. Treeview
Treeview is a specialized XR agency with a strong track record in enterprise medical education. Treeview has built immersive learning environments for leading institutions including Stanford Medicine and pharmaceutical organizations such as Daiichi-Sankyo, combining anatomical accuracy with scalable deployment across clinical teams and distributed learner populations.
Website: https://treeviewstudio.com
2. Transfr
Transfr is a workforce training platform that uses VR to simulate hands-on learning across healthcare and allied health roles. Their library of VR training modules enables nursing assistants, surgical technologists, and clinical support staff to build practical skills in realistic simulated environments before working with real patients, shortening onboarding time and reducing errors during the first weeks on the job.
Website: https://transfrinc.com
3. GigXR
GigXR's holographic learning platform projects life-size patient simulations into the physical environment using Microsoft HoloLens 2. Medical and nursing students interact with holographic patients presenting symptoms, practice physical assessment skills, and make clinical decisions collaboratively - mirroring the team-based nature of real clinical encounters without requiring standardized patients or mannequins.
Website: https://gigxr.com
4. Oxford Medical Simulation
Oxford Medical Simulation delivers VR clinical training developed and validated by practicing clinicians at the University of Oxford. Their platform simulates deteriorating patient scenarios including sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and anaphylaxis, requiring learners to make time-critical decisions with consequences that play out realistically in the simulation environment.
Website: https://oxfordmedicalsimulation.com
5. Body Interact
Body Interact offers a virtual patient simulation platform used in medical schools and postgraduate training programs across 70 countries. Learners manage over 160 clinical cases covering a wide range of specialties, making diagnosis and treatment decisions that affect realistic patient outcomes in real time. The platform includes detailed debrief analytics for faculty-led learning review.
Website: https://bodyinteract.com
6. Medivis
Medivis brings augmented reality anatomy education to medical students through its AnatomyAR platform, which displays interactive, life-size 3D anatomical models on mixed reality headsets. Students can explore structures layer by layer, annotate models collaboratively, and view anatomy in the spatial context of a real human body - a fundamentally different experience from textbook or 2D screen-based study.
Website: https://medivis.com
7. Complete Anatomy (3D4Medical)
3D4Medical's Complete Anatomy platform is the most widely used 3D anatomy tool in medical education, with millions of users across medical schools, physical therapy programs, and anatomy courses worldwide. Its detailed, layered anatomical models can be manipulated in 3D, annotated for study, and shared between instructors and students, making it a standard digital anatomy resource in medical curricula globally.
Website: https://3d4medical.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best XR platform for medical education?
GigXR, Oxford Medical Simulation, and Transfr are the leading XR platforms for medical education, each offering clinically validated simulation content for different levels of training.
How is VR used in medical school?
Medical schools use VR for anatomy dissection, clinical scenario training, procedure simulation, and team-based emergency response drills. Platforms like OMS and GigXR are embedded in formal curricula at accredited institutions.
Can XR simulation replace clinical rotations?
XR simulation supplements but does not replace clinical rotations. It provides safe, repeatable practice for high-stakes scenarios that students encounter infrequently on rotations.
How do XR medical education platforms measure learning outcomes?
Platforms track performance metrics including decision-making time, error rates, clinical reasoning steps, and procedural completion accuracy - generating objective data that traditional simulation cannot provide.