This technology is providing doctors with a virtual view of real world organs during surgeries.
Fraunhofer MEVIS, a research institute in Germany, has now created an app that gives surgeons the opportunity to use an iPad device as an augmented reality viewfinder in the real time to assist them during operations.
The app provides doctors with the ability to better plan their surgeries and to use digital overlays of primary blood vessels.
This use of technology could provide a meaningful amount of assistance to doctors who are frequently required to memorize the precise locations of a person’s blood vessels so that they can avoid them during a surgical procedure. By complementing that practice with a system based on augmented reality would mean that they would have reminder support that could be effective enough that it could save lives.
The augmented reality system is still in need of some fine tuning as it remains somewhat on the clunky side.
Though the concept of using augmented reality this way may seem promising, it has a number of glitches that still need to be worked out, because it is not possible for a surgeon to actually use the technology on his or her own during an operation. To use the tablet at the same time that an operation is taking place, another pair of hands is required, and that individual will need to be able to hold it up and at the perfect angle throughout length and challenging surgeries.
The solution that seems most obvious for this problem is to introduce the system based on augmented reality to a device that is hands free, such as the Google Glass head mounted product. Though it doesn’t look as though Fraunhofer MEVIS is currently working on that type of project, it does have teams that are examining different ways to be able to project the surgical planning data directly onto the individual who is receiving the procedure and on his or her organs. The team is also working on systems that would give doctors the ability to use a gesture to be able to access the device, instead of the touchscreen.
Bing working on developing new augmented reality platforms
Microsoft’s search division Bing has been hard at work developing an augmented reality platform and applications that could gain traction with consumers. Microsoft has been showing a great deal of support in augmented reality recently. The company has plans to incorporate the technology into its next generation gaming platform, tentatively dubbed the Xbox 720. Bing is another sector in which Microsoft is looking to flex its developing augmented reality muscles.
AR team aims to develop new technologies
Bing has established an augmented reality team, which has been tasked with building a platform that acts as a place for users to find information in a natural way. The augmented reality team is working on camera tracking, visual and audio recognition, optical character tracking, translation, and vision-based technologies. These technologies will be used in mobile applications as well as the basic structure of the Bing search engine and its various services, such as Bing Maps.
Google may finally see some competition in the search space
Though Google continues to dominate the online search engine space, Bing is becoming a more popular platform. If augmented reality can be successful introduced, Google may have its first real competitor in the search sector. Bing is basing its augmented reality efforts around “naturalism,” that is, Bing aims to present its augmented reality services in a way that seem wholly natural to consumers. The user interface of the applications and platforms Bing is working on will be intuitive to consumers, no matter what their experience with augmented reality may be.
Companies have yet to show they can deliver with augmented reality
Bing’s augmented reality endeavors may find significant success if its applications and new augmented reality platform can appeal to consumers. Many consumers have already shown interest in the technology because of its dynamic nature, but there are few augmented reality platforms available from major companies like Microsoft and Google. Whether these companies can successfully develop platforms that can attract and keep consumers engaged has yet to be seen.
