• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Biobots Use Optogenetic Muscle Actuators for Movement

      Biobots Use Optogenetic Muscle Actuators for Movement

      Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Medgadget Visits Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Medgadget Visits Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Camera Measures Blood Pressure with Quick Look

      Camera Measures Blood Pressure with Quick Look

    • Radiology
      Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

      Fluorescence Imaging System Illuminates Tumor Depth

      Fluorescence Imaging System Illuminates Tumor Depth

      Soft Robot Grows Like a Plant to Travel Through Tight Spaces

      Soft Robot Grows Like a Plant to Travel Through Tight Spaces

      Mining Ultrasound Data to Improve Liver Diagnostics: Interview with Beth Rogozinski, CEO at Oncoustics

      Mining Ultrasound Data to Improve Liver Diagnostics: Interview with Beth Rogozinski, CEO at Oncoustics

    • Cardiology
      Belt Monitors Heart Failure Patients

      Belt Monitors Heart Failure Patients

      Camera Measures Blood Pressure with Quick Look

      Camera Measures Blood Pressure with Quick Look

      Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure Through Speech: Interview with Tamir Tal, CEO of Cordio Medical

      Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure Through Speech: Interview with Tamir Tal, CEO of Cordio Medical

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

    • Surgery
      Biobots Use Optogenetic Muscle Actuators for Movement

      Biobots Use Optogenetic Muscle Actuators for Movement

      Implantable Device Adheres to Muscle, Treats Atrophy

      Implantable Device Adheres to Muscle, Treats Atrophy

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Electrospun Construct Mimics Elasticity of Blood Vessels

      Electrospun Construct Mimics Elasticity of Blood Vessels

    • Nanomedicine
      Extra Hot Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

      Extra Hot Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

      Making Tumors Tastier for the Immune System

      Making Tumors Tastier for the Immune System

      Improved Membrane Coating for Anti-Cancer Nanoparticles

      Improved Membrane Coating for Anti-Cancer Nanoparticles

      Magnetic Bacteria Target Tumors

      Magnetic Bacteria Target Tumors

    • Military Medicine
      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fabric Makes Electricity from Movement to Power Wearables

      Fabric Makes Electricity from Movement to Power Wearables

      Wearable Uses Microneedles to Track Metabolism

      Wearable Uses Microneedles to Track Metabolism

    • Rehab
      Implantable Device Adheres to Muscle, Treats Atrophy

      Implantable Device Adheres to Muscle, Treats Atrophy

      Non-Invasive Spinal Modulation for Cerebral Palsy

      Non-Invasive Spinal Modulation for Cerebral Palsy

      Implanted Magnets for Prosthetic Control

      Implanted Magnets for Prosthetic Control

      FDA-Approved At-Home Spirometer: Interview with Charvi Shetty, Co-Founder and CEO at Aluna

      FDA-Approved At-Home Spirometer: Interview with Charvi Shetty, Co-Founder and CEO at Aluna

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Interview with Blausen Medical Founder, Bruce Blausen

June 19th, 2012 Shiv Gaglani Art, Exclusive

Blausen Medical Communications is a leading medical & scientific animation and illustration company that, for the past 21 years, has been designing and creating the world’s “largest library of 3D medical animations.” BMC provided us a review copy of their latest app, Blausen Anatomy & Physiology Supplement ($29.99 on the iTunes Store), which we were able to browse through on our iPads.

We were impressed with not only the quality and detail of the graphics, but also with the alacrity with which BMC’s employees responded to feedback and questions. Perhaps this is why Blausen’s apps, including the Human Atlas, have been downloaded over 240,000 times.

 

The A&P Supplement app contains over 1,000 3D illustrations and animations (apparently each costing $10,000 to create, making the total app’s development worth about $10 million) separated into 29 chapters, such as The Special Senses and Neural Tissue. Though there is no extensive text (hence Supplement), there is an 1,850 term glossary, accompanying voice-overs explaining many of the animations, and mini-quizzes. When asked about certain features, such as search functionality and note-sharing, the BMC team said those features were currently in the planning or development stage. For the visual learner the app with its existing features would be worth the price.

In addition to the review, we also had the opportunity to speak with BMC’s founder, Bruce Blausen, about the company’s roots and where they plan to go.

 

Shiv Gaglani, Medgadget: You founded Blausen Medical Communications in 1991. How has the vision changed, if at all, over the last 20 years with the introduction of smartphones and tablets?

Bruce Blausen: When we started we were a pure service-based company. We have been moving towards being an independent publisher/author of our own products. Before smartphones and tablets we really could not sell directly to clinicians and students, but the app store has changed that. To date we have had over a quarter of a million downloads.

 

Medgadget: What most excites you concerning trends in medical technology and healthcare?

Blausen: In the past there was really only one source of medical information in little watercolor pamphlets. Now we are on hospital websites and have partnered with most of the video-on-demand companies so our content is on the bedside TVs. We are partnering with companies that want to place our content on TV channels within the hospital and of course now we are right in the palm of your hand with our smartphone- and tablet apps. Next we’ll be on the portable robotic units that are increasingly gaining traction in the healthcare environment. What is great is that so many companies are creating incredible medical breakthroughs, such as intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) or TheraSphere technologies, and these products need animations to help explain. In the future I believe that all EMRs will have rich content associated with most medical terms.

 

Medgadget: BMC’s tag line was “Alleviating Fears and Concerns of Patients World-Wide” and is now “Redefining Patient and Student Education Worldwide.” Can you elaborate on what that means and how BMC accomplishes that? 

Blausen: As my mother was getting older she wanted to understand the angiogram procedure. Well, seeing how nervous she was, I created a video with our stock animations and sent it to her on VHS. She loved it and started sharing it with all of her friends. We have since received countless emails thanking us for creating this or that particular animation. When people are diagnosed with, for example, cancer, they really cannot process the information being given to them. They are freaked out. Our animations help educate them and address their concerns about treatments or procedures. In addition, the Human Atlas has been doing the same for people in 40 countries in 16 languages.

 

Medgadget: What is BMC’s next product focus?

Blausen: Great question. Our drug atlas is about 50 percent complete. The chemistry and biology atlases will begin when we have a publishing partner. And there is talk about finally doing a veterinary atlas. EMR is in the works, as is “Blausen It” – an icon that will be in a browser window that when clicked scans documents for our key words and highlights them so when they are clicked it will provide the user a selection of rich media from our library…in over 15 languages.

 

Medgadget: Can you describe your personal path to becoming a leader in medical animation? What specifically drives you?

Blausen:  I have always been a perfectionist and a competitor. However, we do not really compete against other companies because we just go about doing our own thing and hope that it works out. I am creating multimillion-dollar asset products that sell for 30 dollars…in a market that did not exist 3-4 years ago. I like being on the cutting edge of technology because there is no one to follow. If you look at most medical apps, they are really not that difficult to copy or create alternative versions. That is not the case with Blausen’s Human Atlas or the A&P Apps. These products have so many incredible and elaborate animations that the time and effort required for someone else to copy our content does not make sense because the market is still developing. We like to be first but also to have the best product. On a personal level, I just believe that making animations is what God had planned for me to do. I feel we really make a difference in education people about our bodies.

 

iTunes links: Blausen Human Atlas HD; Blausen Anatomy and Physiology Supplement

Blausen Medical homepage…

Shiv Gaglani

Shiv Gaglani is an MD/MBA candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Harvard Business School. In addition to curating the Smartphone Physical (www.smartphonephysical.org), he also contributes regularly to CardioSource World News and Emergency Physicians Monthly. He is interested in developing scalable, tech-based solutions for medicine and education; to this end he is the co-founder of the medical education tech start-up, Osmosis (www.osmosis.org).  More about Shiv: http://about.me/sgaglani

Sponsored
New Clarius Power Fan HD3 Delivers a First for Handheld Ultrasound: Continuous Scanning

New Clarius Power Fan HD3 Delivers a First for Handheld Ultrasound: Continuous Scanning

Fluidx Unveils New Embolic for Neurovascular Use

Fluidx Unveils New Embolic for Neurovascular Use

Annalise.ai and Nuance Communications (a Microsoft Company) Announce Key Partnership to Improve Patient Outcomes with Workflow-Integrated AI

Annalise.ai and Nuance Communications (a Microsoft Company) Announce Key Partnership to Improve Patient Outcomes with Workflow-Integrated AI

PT Genie Unveils New Brand Identity Reflecting Company’s Transformation and Focus on the Global Future of AI and Machine Learning in Digital Healthcare

Clarius Marketplace Unlocks the Power of AI Innovation for Ultrasound Imaging

Clarius Marketplace Unlocks the Power of AI Innovation for Ultrasound Imaging

interviews & reviews
Balance Boards to Stay Active in the Offfice: Interview with Joel Heath, CEO of FluidStance 

Balance Boards to Stay Active in the Offfice: Interview with Joel Heath, CEO of FluidStance 

Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

Exciting Medtech at the Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

Medgadget Visits Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

Medgadget Visits Healthcareᐩ Expo Taiwan

Diabetes Management Tech for Type II patients: Interview with Jeffrey Brewer, CEO of Bigfoot Biomedical

Diabetes Management Tech for Type II patients: Interview with Jeffrey Brewer, CEO of Bigfoot Biomedical

Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure Through Speech: Interview with Tamir Tal, CEO of Cordio Medical

Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure Through Speech: Interview with Tamir Tal, CEO of Cordio Medical

In-Office Pediatric Ear Tube Procedures: Interview with Preceptis Medical's Greg Mielke

In-Office Pediatric Ear Tube Procedures: Interview with Preceptis Medical's Greg Mielke

Symani Microsurgical Robotic System: Interview with Mark Toland, CEO of Medical Microinstruments

Symani Microsurgical Robotic System: Interview with Mark Toland, CEO of Medical Microinstruments

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!
Posting....
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email