The medical imaging field has grown by leaps and bounds, but Wilmington startup Artemis Immersive is taking it a dimension further. With their technology, patients can interact virtually with 3D medical images of an MRI or CT scan, allowing them to turn, slice, label, or enlarge images—and understand them.
Artemis Immersive was founded in 2023 by husband and wife Adam Isley and Dr. Kaylan Barbrey, along with medical illustrator Bill Blakesley. With Blakesley’s experience in medical animation, Isley’s background in software design and Barbrey’s career as a practicing pharmacist, the three were able to tap into a unique blend of software, healthcare and imaging.
“What we’re trying to do is all about creating healthcare software that’s really focused on helping patients understand what’s going on and pulling in their experience,” Isley said.
The problem the founders identified was a joint issue of time and burnout. A cardiologist might have to explain the same heart condition 15 times a day, and a physician might have only 20 minutes with each patient that comes into the office, making it difficult to ensure that a patient fully understands their medical condition.
That issue led to the development of Artemis Immersive’s 3D healthcare app, VoxScan. Healthcare providers can use VoxScan’s virtual reality tools to explain a patient’s medical condition or answer anatomical questions. Isley said that a VR medical imaging app has more legs than headsets.
“I love VR, I think there’s so much future there, but patients aren’t sharing headsets in a waiting room—there’s a lot of problems to solve before that’s a thing,” Isley said. “But having it as a desktop app today, you could start to solve some of those problems.”
How Artemis Immersive Works
Artemis Immersive uses a SaaS business model to contract with clinics and clients in the preventative scanning industry. After a provider uploads a patient’s record and scans to the app, they can explain the ins and outs of an MRI or CT scan in 3D, using screen recording features to capture a summary video that patients can watch later.
Receiving a medical diagnosis can be an incredibly scary experience, and Isley said the screen recording tool can also come in handy for patients who tune out after getting their diagnosis.
“The patient hears [about the pathology of their tumor], and probably forgets everything else that’s said over the next however many minutes,” Isley said. “The poor doctor turns and grabs the plastic skeleton in the corner, and points at it, or they’ll pull their phone out and find a visual image to share with the patient. We kind of see that interaction as our sweet spot.”
Outside of 3D medical imaging for patients, Isley said that the company is also interested in moving into fields like personal injuries and scans for pets and animals. Using 3D scans could help a jury better understand a medical image in a court case, for instance; looking at a pet’s anatomy might help an owner decide whether or not to go through with a procedure.
Artemis Immersive is launching a full version of the VoxScan app this month that prioritizes seamless integration for patients and physicians. By January, the company plans to launch a full, desktop version of VoxScan in which a physician can upload a patient’s medical records, and looking ahead to Q2 2025, Artemis Immersive will open the Wilmington Experience Lab as their new headquarters downtown.
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Startup: Artemis Immersive
Co-Founders: Adam Isley, Kaylan Barbrey, Bill Blakesley
Founded: 2023
Location: Wilmington, NC
Website: artemisimmersive.com
Funding: Bootstrapped
With a team of nine people in Wilmington, the startup is bootstrapped, raising money from friends, family and business contacts. The core core team receives half salary, half stock equity, and Artemis Immersive has also worked with interns from UNC-Wilmington, growing their footprint across the city.
Artemis Immersive participated in MetaCenter Global Week in 2023, and reined in a first-place title from the NC Tech Startup Showcase. Most recently, the company won recognition from the NC Tech Awards for its VoxScan app.
Isley said that Artemis Immersive isn’t hoping to solve just one problem. The company is pushing technology for the patients who need help understanding a complex diagnosis, just as much as he’s doing it for the pets that are as beloved as Isley’s own 180-pound English Mastiff.
“We’re all really passionate about it,” Isley said. “There’s so many cool things you can do with 3D software and healthcare.”
