Yesterday, today, and tomorrow of metaverse in medicine

Metaverse in medicine is a promising field that combines advanced technologies, such as virtual reality, augmented  reality, and holographic projection, to provide new possibilities for medical research and treatment. Metaverse in medicine can be understood as Internet of Medical Things （IoMT） carried over to a virtual interactive platform, as the devdopment history of IoMT reflects the birth of the metaverse in medicine. Since 2009, when the American Thoracic Society introduced my IoT lung function meter, until 2016, I have edited and published “Medical Internet of Things”, “Practical Medical Internet of Things” and “Manual of Medical Internet of Things graded diagnosis and treatment” successively, and co-edited “Health 4.0: How Virtualization and Big Data are Revolutionizing Healthcare” with Professor Christoph Thuemmler, during which gave birth to metaverse in medicine. Today’s metaverse in medicine can be traced back to the early applications of virtual reality and augmented reality technology, which were initially used in the military, gaming, and other fields, and then gradually introduced into the medical field in forms such as surgical simulation, anatomy education, and rehabilitation training. Nowadays, metaverse in medicine has been widely used in many fields, such as surgical navigation, telemedicine, image analysis, and rehabilitation therapy. A digital human GPT in medicine has been used in the evaluation and management of pulmonary nodules and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In February 2022, the International Association for Metaverse in Medicine and the International Alliance for Metaverse in Medicine were founded and I have established an expert consensus on metaverse in medicine. In the future, the development prospects of metaverse in medicine will be even broader. With today’s continuous technological innovations and breakthroughs, metaverse in medicine will enable more accurate, efficient, and personalized medical service. The metaverse in medicine may also be expanded to more fields, such as gene editing and drug development, to provide more comprehensive and in-depth support for medical research and treatment. Metaverse in medicine is full of potential and opportunities, and it will continue to promote the development of the medical field and make great contributions to human health.

Key Words: metaverse; metaverse in medicine; virtual reality; augmented reality; mixed reality; extended reality