New-Tech Europe | Sep 2017 | Digital Edition

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 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 in Development Medical Education

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)

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