Learning Design · XR/AI · Haptics · Medical Education

Immersive orthopedic learning, designed from pedagogy outward.

Yves Shabo Nkulu-Ily is a Ph.D. Candidate in Education and the disclosed originator of University of Kentucky Invention Report 2541, an internet-based immersive 3-D orthopedic learning environment using augmented reality.

Verified institutional record: On December 15, 2020, the University of Kentucky Intellectual Property Committee identified Yves NKULU-ILY Shabo as the disclosed originator and recommended investigation of appropriate protection and a commercial pathway.
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Condensed visual facsimile of the December 15, 2020 Intellectual Property Committee decision letter
Condensed facsimile for presentation. The linked PDF is the controlling source document.

The invention

Invention Report 2541: “The Design of an Internet-Based Immersive 3-D Digital Orthopedics Learning Environment Using Augmented Reality.”

The concept connects immersive technology with instructional design for distributed orthopedic education. Its research context includes realistic decision-making, feedback, cognitive fit, haptics, simulation-based learning, and access in resource-constrained settings.

Augmented realityWebXRMedical educationOrthopedic trainingHapticsSimulationDistance education

What I contribute

I translate emerging XR/AI capabilities into defensible learning experiences for medical and higher education.

Learning-design translationMedical simulationFeedback designTechnology-transfer communication

Open to: research collaboration, educational-technology development, and medical-education innovation projects.

Related research

A publication program examining how XR, AI, feedback, and haptic cues can support authentic learning and decision-making in medical distance education.

2026 · JOURNAL ARTICLE

Simulating realistic surgeon decisions and actions in immersive medical distance education with XR and AI

Interactive Learning Environments, 34(4), 2223–2268.

Open DOI
2026 · PREPRINT

Bridging Distance with Sensation

Immersive haptic feedback for enhanced orthopedic education in XR/AI.

Open DOI
2023 · SPRINGER

Combining XR and AI for feedback in surgical medical distance education

International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, pp. 452–466.

Open DOI Certificate of Participation
2023 · JOURNAL ARTICLE

Implementation of e-learning curriculum in higher education

European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 25(1), 62–73.

Open DOI

Research-to-innovation path

DEC 2020
Institutional invention reviewIPC identifies the disclosed originator and recommends protection and commercialization assessment.
2023
XR/AI and e-learning publicationsPeer-reviewed work connects pedagogy, feedback, immersive systems, and distance education.
2026
Realistic decisions and haptic feedbackJournal and preprint outputs extend the research toward authentic surgical action and embodied feedback.

Status boundary

The available IPC letter documents an invention disclosure, originator identification, University ownership interest, and a recommendation to investigate protection. It does not establish an issued patent, published patent application, current patent-pending status, license, or personal ownership.

As of September 5, 2026, no matching public patent or technology-transfer identifier had been located in the sources searched. Updated public wording should follow any later confirmation from the University of Kentucky Office of Technology Commercialization.