Glossary Terms

360-degree video is an immersive video format in which footage is mapped onto a portion of a sphere, so a viewer can look in any direction from a fixed vantage point. Source: XRSI Standard XR Definitions (XR-001) Read more

Adaptive learning covers a range of technologies and techniques that observe participants and adjust the learning experience on demand. It is the simulation field’s own term for what an AI-personalized training system does. Source: SSH Healthcare Simulation Dictionary, 3rd ed. Read more

An algorithm is a precise set of step-by-step rules for transforming specified inputs into specified outputs in a finite number of steps. In machine learning it refers to the procedure used to train a model, as distinct from the trained model that results. Sources: FDA Digital Health and AI Glossary; NIST AI Resource Center Glossary Read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to machine-based systems that, for a given set of human-defined objectives, generate predictions, recommendations, or decisions that influence real or virtual environments. AI systems are designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy, and how much autonomy a system exercises is a central question when it is used in patient care.… Read more

Augmented reality (AR) overlays computer-generated content onto a person’s view of the real world, so digital elements and physical surroundings are seen and used together. In healthcare the digital content is typically registered to real anatomy or equipment, meaning it is aligned to a specific physical object rather than simply floating in the field of… Read more

Augmented virtuality is a form of mixed reality in which real-world objects or people are brought into a predominantly virtual environment, so physical elements can interact with a largely virtual scene. It is the reverse arrangement to augmented reality, which places virtual content into a physical scene. Source: Unity Glossary Read more

An avatar is a graphical representation of a person, typically three-dimensional, capable of relatively complex actions including facial expression. Source: SSH Healthcare Simulation Dictionary, 3rd ed. Read more

Biometric data is personal data resulting from specific technical processing of a person’s physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics. Source: XRSI Standard XR Definitions (XR-001) Read more

Biometric tracking monitors physiological signals from the user, such as heart rate, respiration rate, pulse oximetry, and blood pressure. In clinical XR this information is both a research asset and a data category that requires careful handling. Source: XRSI Standard XR Definitions (XR-001) Read more

Biometrically-inferred data (BID) is the set of data derived by inference from behavioural, physical, and psychological biometric identification, rather than measured directly. It is treated as a distinct category because conclusions about a person can be drawn without ever collecting an obvious identifier. Source: XRSI Standard XR Definitions (XR-001) Read more