[Life Chapter 3 Companies] 'M2S' Diagnosing Disease Precursors with VR

Kim Yang-ho, CEO of M2, a metaverse healthcare technology company, is explaining the 'iDoctor' device. Photo by Huh Young-han younghan@

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunju Lee] Upon entering the M2S office located on Teheran-ro in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the first thing that caught the eye was the VR (virtual reality) diagnostic devices resembling game consoles. Wearing the VR glasses connected to the pristine white equipment opens up a virtual space. Users accessing the virtual space engage in simple games or tests, but during this time, the device keenly analyzes the user's visual information to diagnose their health condition. Some employees were intermittently seated in front of the devices, testing ongoing development projects.

On the 13th, Asia Economy met with Kim Yang-ho, co-CEO (62) of the digital healthcare startup M2S at their office. M2S is a healthcare startup that developed Korea's first ophthalmic medical device using VR. The company started in 2017 as a firm creating 3D immersive content using VR technology but pivoted to the healthcare field in 2018, which laid the foundation for its current status. A significant turning point was a collaborative project proposal from the medical field suggesting applying their excellent VR implementation technology to ophthalmic medical examinations.

In hospitals, examinations mainly rely on the subjective judgment of the examiner or require sufficient space for testing. A separate space like a darkroom is essential. Using the VR diagnostic technology developed by M2S can reduce such unnecessary time and space constraints. It also offers considerable convenience to users. Like enjoying a VR game, through the simple method of wearing a VR device, early signs of various diseases such as dementia can be diagnosed. M2S's VR-based eye health test device, iDoctor, even won the Best Innovation Award at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition.

Based on outstanding technology, M2S raised 6.5 billion KRW in Series A funding by early last year. SK Securities, Shinhan Capital, Cha Hospital affiliate group Solidus Investment, and Cha Healthcare jointly invested. They have also built a diagnostic and exercise content platform targeting the elderly, focusing on technology that diagnoses diseases like dementia by tracking pupil movement. CEO Kim explained, "We have been building a senior healthcare platform utilizing the metaverse," adding, "We have created solutions that allow seniors to simultaneously access virtual spaces through VR devices and enjoy light exercise as if playing games."

Below is a Q&A session.

- What kind of company is M2S?

▲ M2S is a digital healthcare platform company established in 2017. The company was initially formed by personnel specializing in creating 3D content using VR and XR technology, so its original focus was not digital healthcare. It started as a company producing 3D content, games, and advertisements. However, from 2018, it shifted its direction toward healthcare. Our competitive edge lies in overwhelming VR and XR production technology, and by starting healthcare projects with professors from Korea University Medical School, the company's current identity was formed.

- What product lines are included in the VR-based healthcare projects?

▲ First, there is a product called 'iDoctor,' which allows anyone to easily manage eye health. It provides an integrated solution to assess an individual's eye condition using VR devices. In short, it simplifies the traditional ophthalmic examinations where patients are asked to look in various directions while the examiner manually conducts tests, by performing these tests through cutting-edge VR technology. The VR device tracks pupil movement and eye tremors to test 11 types of eye health at a medical device level. This means it can pre-diagnose vision, astigmatism, color blindness, pupil response, and more. Individuals can perform 'self-diagnosis' of eye health without visiting an ophthalmologist. iDoctor won the Best Innovation Award in the health and wellness category at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition.

- Is iDoctor currently available on the market?

▲ Yes, it has been released and is being marketed. There are three versions: Pro, Standard, and Lite. The Pro version is equivalent to hospital examination equipment, the Standard version is mainly provided to clinics such as internal medicine, family medicine, and opticians, and the Lite version is designed for senior welfare centers and similar silver facilities. The Lite version features supplementary content such as exercise and rest after the examination.

- Winning the Best Innovation Award at CES suggests significant technological achievement.

▲ Indeed. It means we possess technology that can detect eye movements and tremors through VR. This is also a very important technology in the medical neurology field. Recently, in collaboration with neurology professors, we are developing 'VR brain lesion localization software equipment.' Simply put, it is a product that can diagnose early brain diseases such as dementia, brain tumors, and strokes as precisely as CT or MRI by analyzing eye movements. Using AI, it analyzes specific eye patterns to accurately locate and diagnose brain lesion sites. Currently, a prototype incorporating five examination methods has been developed, and we plan to release a prototype with about ten examination methods by the end of this year.

- Why is localization equipment necessary?

▲ Once localization equipment is developed, it can relatively inexpensively replace or supplement CT or MRI devices in medical settings. CT or MRI scans are costly and involve radiation exposure, which is harmful to patients. If localization equipment is introduced in medical settings, it will serve as a useful tool for pre-treatment diagnosis. We plan to complete prototype development within this year and begin clinical trials next year. Our goal is to commercialize the product globally starting in 2025. We know a Swiss company is developing similar equipment, but we believe we are significantly ahead of competitors.

- Why focus specifically on the 'eye'? Is there a particular reason for this focus?

▲ Eye movements and gaze are very important and accurate indicators for early detection of diseases like dementia and dizziness. Neurologists describe eye tremors not as 'shaking' but as 'twitching,' indicating that eye health is also a measure of neurological health. Precisely identifying eye tremors allows detection of more lesions. It means that early signs of brain lesions or Alzheimer's can be quickly identified through eye health status. We are confident that we have innovative technology that can relatively simply diagnose a patient's health condition solely through eye movements and pupil activity.

- Given the technological innovation, the product lineup is impressive. I understand you are also developing digital solutions using VR.

▲ M2S does not stop at VR-based diagnostics but aims to provide services by integrating diagnosis and digital therapy into a comprehensive platform. We gather various diagnostic and therapeutic software we have developed and offer them on an integrated platform. For example, we are working on building a senior-tailored healthcare content platform through a hub-type metaverse space where M2S-developed products can be used collectively. Seniors can simultaneously access the metaverse space from various locations and easily enjoy VR-based eye movement training and physical exercise healthcare content in a virtual environment.

Metaverse healthcare technology company M2 CEO Yangho Kim. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@