3D Visualization of Biological Data in Ultra High Definition Virtual video

Visual computing has become an indispensable tool in the field of biology, revolutionizing the way researchers and practitioners understand and interact with complex biological data. The integration of high-resolution Virtual Reality offers an immersive and detailed visualization experience, crucial for advancing our knowledge in areas such as
genomics, proteomics, and cellular biology. Recent advancements in VR-based biological visualization often deploy lower-resolution Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), limiting the ability to observe fine structural detail. This work presents an interactive 3D visualization system for biological data in ultra-high-definition VR. The system supports volume
rendering techniques, flexible rendering options, and the simultaneous visualization of multiple datasets, all within an 8K VR environment. In this work we collaborated with the Developmental Morphogenesis Lab, part of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMBB-FORTH). They provided a dataset containing time-lapse microscopy recordings of live developing embryos from the crustacean model organism Parhyale hawaiensis, which was used in order to test and develop our application. Our system’s performance is evaluated across
varied metrics, including loading time, frames per second, and device latency, showcasing its capabilities in handling large biological datasets. A think aloud study provided expert feedback.