Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Kapanu AG is a startup and spin-off from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. They have developed an impressive AR System to communicate and educate patients. It allows for a preview before dental Implantation takes place to decide on color and shape of teeth to recreate an individual smile.
#
Scopis launched a Holographic Navigation Platform for use in surgery using the Microsoft Hololens. As Scopis is claiming, the Company has „developed this platform to offer higher precision and speed to surgeons, and better outcomes to patients undergoing open and minimally-invasive spinal procedures“. Their target application is planning of the positioning and alignment of pedicle screws during multiple vertebrae fixation surgeries, for example.
“Scopis’ holographic solution has the potential to make spine surgery more effective, safe, and precise,” said Professor Christian Woiciechowsky, Chief of the Spinal Surgery Clinic at Vivantes Humboldt Hospital in Berlin. “Integrating mixed-reality tools into surgery is a huge technological advancement toward enhancing a surgeon’s vision and may provide greater benefits to patients.”
I’m very happy that one of my projects, the MedicalAR Mirror, has become part of the fantastic exhibition „Body Works“ at Carnegie Science Center. Here is a video report about the exhibition with a small part showing also the Augmented Reality mirror (~ sec 50).
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/10/10/body-works-new-exhibit-opens-at-carnegie-science-center/
Augmented Reality has the power of equipping our environments with virtual elements to make life more efficient, more interesting, or simply more playful. We can also use AR to support our imagination in case of “what if … ” scenarios, e.g. placing virtual furniture into our new living room. This experience can become very personal, when planning to change things related to the own body, e.g. dental implants that may change the look of our smile.
Plastic surgery addresses among other things also the reconstruction of the aesthetics of our body. This may happen when for example a face got deformed or skin and further tissue had been burned as a consequence of an accident. Breast reconstruction of one or both breasts that were removed along with the treatment of breast cancer is another application. From one of my earlier projects, I learned that the wish of restoring the symmetry of the own body is very strong and it is mostly driven by extremely emotional reasons. Reconstructing the body can have a significant effect on the self-confidence of patients and their quality of life.
Of course, breast surgery addresses not only treatment of cancer patients. There is a significant number of pure aesthetic reasons that lead into such surgeries.
Screenshot taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8r7PXMmOs8
The company Illusio Imaging based in California, USA introduces a tablet-PC based Augmented Reality application (Illusio), which can be used to consult the patient by presenting possible outcomes of a breast surgery.