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Figure 1:
The rechargeable AV400 AR scanner weighs less than 10 ounces
and displays the veins underneath the skin. (Image source: AccuVein)
Figure 2:
The Scopis surgical navigation tool: (a) Surgeon headset; (b) AR
image. (Source: Scopis)
Figure 3:
An AR headset enables anatomy students to examine a virtual
human body and navigate through successive layers of skin, muscle and
organs. (Source: Microsoft)
head-mounted display with a
surgical navigation system to help
surgeons performing spine surgery
(Figure 2). The platform provides a
hands-free display and a holographic
overlay that indicates exactly where
the surgeon should operate.
The next stage of development will
be to combine data from multiple
sources such as MRI (magnetic
resonance imaging) or PET-CT
(positron emission tomography-
computed tomography) into a
fused AR image that can provide
the surgeon with customized
information for each procedure.
Medical AR Applications
in Development
Medical Education
Beginning in 2019, Case Western
Reserve University will be teaching
anatomy to future doctors without
the use of cadavers. Instead,
medical students will use head-
mounted displays to view an AR
representation of a human body
(Figure 3).
The technology adds a vital element
missing from earlier attempts to
teach the subject using large touch
screens. Users can now walk around
a 3-D image of the body skeleton,
organs, and veins and view the
display from any orientation.
The next stage of development
will allow users to interact with the
image in real time-rotating the body
or “moving” an organ to examine
the underlying arteries, for example.
Enabling Vision
Oxford (UK) start-up Oxsight is
testing AR glasses to help visually-
impaired patients recognize objects
and move around their environment.
The smart glasses detect light,
movement, and shapes, and then
display sensor data in a way that
helps the user make the most of
his or her remaining vision. Each
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