Kanika Chahal
Interview/ Kanika Chahal, cofounder and director, Maverick Simulation Solutions
Maverick began as a pioneer in 3D scanning and printing in India, before venturing into medical simulators in 2019. Since then, it has built a diverse portfolio in the field. In a conversation with THE WEEK, Kanika Chahal, cofounder and director of Maverick Simulation Solutions, discusses creating world-class medical simulators and how simulation-based training is evolving to address emerging challenges. Excerpts:
What do you take into consideration while making medical simulators? What are the various kinds of simulators created by Maverick?
Simulation means creating a replica of a real scenario. For example, in aviation, pilots first train in flight simulators for months before flying an aircraft. The same concept is now used in medicine. A new doctor should not have their first experience directly on a patient. Instead, they can practise, make mistakes and gain confidence in a simulated, safe environment, like with LuSi
We have task trainers—basic simulators without automated feedback. The trainer gives feedback instead, helping the trainee develop motor skills like inserting an IV or suturing. Then we have medium and high-fidelity simulators, which provide direct feedback via sensors, software or signals.
In medium fidelity, we have a CPR simulator and an auscultation trainer for learning heart, lung and bowel sounds. These sounds are the same worldwide.
In high fidelity, we offer many solutions: virtual dissection tables—Anatomage (complementary to cadaver studies), dental simulator, surgical simulators, neonatal and adult/paediatric mechanical ventilation simulators (LuSi and TestChest), IVF simulators, complete operating theatre suites and full-body human patient simulators for different age groups. LuSi, for example, is a high-fidelity, AI-based, autonomous human lung simulator.
Creating these solutions requires clinical and engineering expertise. How do you bring both?
We have doctors and engineers in our team. We collaborate with institutes like IITs and with leading hospitals. For example, we recently had a discussion with AIIMS Delhi. Building simulators requires combining mechanical/electrical design with detailed medical physiology, so both fields work closely together from concept to validation.
Do you use immersive gamification technology in your solutions?
Yes, in some products. Our dental simulator uses AR/VR, as do our ENT simulators for temporal and nasal surgeries. Users can even create custom cases from CT scan data. We also apply AR/VR in ultrasound simulation.
How are AI, AR and VR advancing this domain?
Many of our simulators are AI-based, like LuSi and TestChest. Our AR/VR simulators (dental, ENT) give trainees immersive training experiences and can be used for pre-surgery planning. Right now, our AR/VR focus is on medical and surgical applications.
What are your future plans?
Over the next three years, we aim to supply simulators to as many hospitals, medical/nursing colleges and paramedical institutions as possible. There are over 20,000 such institutions in India, many without proper skill labs.
We also work with medical device manufacturers. For example, ventilator companies use our LuSi and TestChest to develop and test algorithms. Soon, we will launch the Maverick SIM Academy for training programmes in ventilation, nursing, dermatology, dentistry and more.
How do you see simulation-based training evolving to meet emerging medical challenges like new diseases or complex health care systems?
Covid-19 was a clear example. Countries could buy ventilators, but lacked enough trained operators. With simulators, we can rapidly train health care workers during pandemics or for new diseases, creating realistic scenarios for respiratory, neurological or other conditions.
Some of our advanced simulators are already used by ventilator companies to test and refine their algorithms. In future, this adaptability will save more lives during medical crises.