Applications of Augmented Reality in the Field of Medical Sciences – Part 2

In the previous blog, we looked at the 7 applications of Augmented Reality in the Healthcare Industry. The accessibility of this kind of technology can and will make a huge difference to the standard of medical education and training. And with that, it has also improved the patterns of performing the surgeries and diagnosis of the patients.

Continued List of Applications of Augmented Reality in Medical Sciences–

1. Current Studios –

We all aware of the MRI scan procedure and that the patient has to be very still during the scan. But we cannot expect the children to be still for this long time. The company named as Current Studios has developed a Tablet game for Kids which they could be made to play before going for the MRI scan. This game just tests the ability of the child to be still and also tells about the average time for which he can be still on the dashboard of the Doctors. It helps doctor to decide whether a child would need general anesthetics or not.

2. VA-ST –

Stephen Hicks did a research on visually handicapped people and found that the legally blind people also have some remaining vision. The problem encountered by them are with recognition of faces, driving, reading, and avoiding objects in their path. VA-ST visor is developed for people facing such issues to help them get along with their day-to-day chores. For instance, the device would create the outline around a person’s face to help with recognition, and help improve situations with poor contrast.

3. Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform –

This year in January, Philips announced an interesting breakthrough in the healthcare industry, a technology meant for navigation in the minimally invasive spine surgery for use in their “hybrid ORs”. This new navigation technology combines an optical tracking system with the CT-like functionality of the fluoro unit. There are additional cameras attached to the fluoroscopy unit that combine images of the patient’s anatomy with the 3-dimensional imaging, outputting the result on a high resolution monitor.

4. SmartSkin –

Radiotherapy is a crucial procedure in which the positioning of the patient is very important so that, the tumor are targeted properly and so for the sparing of organs-at-risk.  Smart Skin Project is aimed at developing a camera based guidance system which helps positioning and monitoring of patients. The project is based on the Augmented Reality technology. It superimposes the contours of patient’s condition onto real-time camera feeds during set-up and treatment to help map the differences between the current position and the planned treatment position. This helps in detecting the misalignments and deformations as well as miss-positioning of immobilized devices can be detected and corrected. It is also capable of displaying the support systems of the patients for continuously monitoring the patient’s position and breathing, therefore improving the patient’s safety.

5. Augmented Reality can assist surgeons in the OR –

We all aware that precision is very important in surgery. With the advent of Augmented Reality in Medical Sciences, doctors can improve their efficiencies in surgeries. Hence, it may increase the number of successful surgeries. From treating a tumor in a liver to conducting a minimally invasive procedure, AR healthcare apps can help doctors treat patients seamlessly, hence saving more lives.

Medsights Tech has developed a software to create accurate 3-Dimensional reconstructions of tumors, which empowers surgeons with X-Ray views without any actual exposure to radiations.

6. Improved Marketing of Products –

Healthcare has been benefitted by the advent of AR technology beyond education and diagnosis and i.e. on the marketing fronts. The medicine manufacturing company are not just manufacturing medicines but also developing the AR apps. Now the patients and doctors can scan the medicine to access the complete description about the drug like benefits and mode of action.

See Also: Interesting Facts About Augmented Reality

7. Sales and Designs Reviews –

During the design phase the company personnel need to carry lots of packaging and display prototypes which could be very costly and time-consuming for both brands and their providers. But it is important to well assess the shape, size and product look to make a decision.Augmented Reality has relieved them with the burden of carrying a heavy catalog to present to people, as now they can present those designs and prototypes through their mobiles phones.

The AR apps are the most exciting and groundbreaking developments available today. Patients and doctors alike can be more informed of healthcare decisions, with the use of this technology. Augmented Reality is the true future of the Healthcare and it is good to get accustomed to it well before time. The main aim of AR is to combine virtual information to immediate surroundings to simplify our lives, as it enhances your perceptions and interactions with the real world.