Software creates surgical reality

What: Seattle's Red Llama, at redllamatech.com

See one, do one, teach one: The software, SimPraxis, allows simulations of surgical procedures using a personal computer. High-quality video offers a surgeon's-eye view of the patient on one side of the screen and images of surgical instruments on the other. Click on the correct tool, and the cursor becomes the tool. Move it to the patient and click again. Get it right, and the video shows the tool being used.

Co-founders: CEO Peter Gruenbaum has worked on simulations at Boeing and Microsoft. David Robison, chief operating officer, brings expertise in multimedia and corporate training. Chris Airola, chief technology officer, worked in the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology Lab. Dr. Robert Sweet, a medical-simulators expert, started as a consultant and is now chief medical officer. They began developing SimPraxis in 2004; pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca provided funding.

In their spare time: They teach creative-technology classes to teenagers at the Yesler Terrace Community Center.

Who needs med school? : The software does not teach hand skills but is meant to refresh or train doctors on procedures they may not be familiar with. "It's understanding what are the steps you need to do, and what do you do if something goes wrong," Gruenbaum said.

First customers: They're building a simulation to train doctors to administer a light-activated cancer treatment as part of a trial for Light Sciences Oncology, a Snoqualmie biotechnology company.

Competitive advantages: "We're just using standard PC equipment, and that makes it very cheap, very easy to customize, very easy to distribute," Gruenbaum said.

Future uses: Hoping to make simulations of procedures for maintenance, home improvement and manufacturing.

Getting there: Looking for about $1 million in capital, preferably from angel investors.

What's in a name: Something memorable and interesting, to match their work, the founders hope. Gruenbaum's wife had a painting of a llama as a child. And Red Llama sticks in the mind, not on the tongue, unlike the tech-gibberish monikers they considered: Axylotyl, Troodon, Baryonyx.

— Benjamin J. Romano