RaonMeta Wins Grand Prize at Seongmo Hospital Mustard Seed Growing Center Demo Day for 'Laboratory Animal Autopsy Practice Content'

Raon Meta, a subsidiary of Raon Secure, demonstrated its excellent metaverse technology by winning the grand prize at the ‘2024 Mustard Seed Growth Center Demo Day 4’ with its experimental animal autopsy practice content.

Raon Meta (CEO Lee Soon-hyung), a generative AI-based metaverse platform specialist, announced on the 14th that the ‘Metaverse-based Experimental Animal Autopsy Practice Content,’ co-developed with Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, won the grand prize at the ‘2024 Mustard Seed Growth Center Demo Day 4’ held at the Catholic University Seongui Campus in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

The ‘Mustard Seed Growth Center Demo Day’ is an innovation competition hosted by the Mustard Seed Growth Center, established by the Catholic Foundation and Catholic University Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital to nurture future talents in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. It targets eight hospitals under the Catholic University Catholic Central Medical Center.

In its fourth year, the Demo Day saw a record 47 teams from the eight hospitals competing fiercely. The metaverse-based experimental animal autopsy practice content, submitted as a project by Dr. Cho Hyun-moo’s eXtended Reality team from Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, received high evaluations for technical completeness and commercialization potential, earning the grand prize.

Raon Meta and Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in February to jointly conduct medical professional practice content projects. Raon Meta provided metaverse and extended reality (XR) technologies, while Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital contributed curriculum design, infrastructure, and expert consultation, collaboratively developing the world’s first metaverse-based experimental animal autopsy practice content.

The metaverse-based experimental animal autopsy practice content allows users to perform lifelike autopsy practice in virtual reality without sacrificing actual experimental animals. Users can learn the entire autopsy process, from preparation using a virtual rat to corpse disposal, and actual autopsy videos are provided as learning guides to enhance understanding. After repetitive practice, users can verify their skills through a test without guidance.

Raon Meta and Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital expect this to reduce the severe pain and unnecessary sacrifice experienced by nearly five million experimental animals used annually, thereby addressing ethical issues in animal testing. It is also anticipated to partially solve costs and environmental pollution problems related to corpse waste disposal.

Raon Meta officially launched the experimental animal autopsy practice content on its metaverse-based practice service ‘Metademy’ in July and is actively discussing content provision with various public, medical, and educational institutions. Patents have been filed domestically and in the United States, which is expected to enhance Metademy’s competitiveness as a platform.

Yoon Won-seok, Head of the Metademy Business Division at Raon Meta, said, “We are pleased to receive high recognition for the world’s first metaverse-based experimental animal autopsy practice content developed with Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital. Raon Meta will continue to add and advance various medical practice contents on Metademy to contribute to the development of medical training.”

Hong Jae-taek, Research Director at Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, stated, “The differentiated competitiveness of Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital’s research field combined with Raon Meta’s unique metaverse and XR technology has produced excellent results. We will continue to work closely with Raon Meta to further advance the experimental animal autopsy practice content.”