Author: V. Sujitha Reddy, III year of Btech(electronics and communication engineering) from CHRIST (deemed to be) UNIVERSITY, Bangalore
The world of health care and medicine is vastly different than it was even just some short years ago. together with telemedicine, the appliance of huge data to predict health conditions, as well as the expansion in smart health devices, has led to at least one of the largest growth sectors for the medical and health fields being augmented and computer games (AR and VR). Today, doctors, clinicians, and scientists are finding new ways to leverage AR and VR to alter the way we train medical staff, diagnose diseases, and treat patients. several ways the medical industry is leveraging AR and VR to positively impact patient outcomes. first, a short note on the difference between the two VR is a computer-generated 3D environment during which users can immerse themselves — often with the employment of VR goggles or a headset — to explore and interact with what's around them. On the opposite hand, AR takes the user’s existing environment and enhances it with additional layers of knowledge.
Using virtual reality to train surgeons
As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” except for surgeons, hands-on experience may be tough to return by. For years, medical students have primarily learned through the observation of surgeries further as performing procedures on cadavers. But the opportunities for both of those exercises are often limited. a surgeon may have little (or even no) hands-on experience of a selected procedure before attempting it on a true patient. VR is changing this: Today, medical students are ready to perform many procedures in virtual environments before being faced with tackling the 000 things. Not only can doctors get meaningful experience with the surgery itself, but they'll also shop around the virtual operating theatre, familiarizing themselves with the environment and controls they'll use. Advanced VR systems for surgery even give tactile feedback that mimics the 000 things, like a tool vibrating when it’s used.
AR and VR help patients live through brain injuries
For individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, recovery will be a slow and daunting process. one amongst the growing applications of both augmented and video game is within the recovery and assistance of people who have unfortunately had a severe brain injury. Following an injury to the brain, handling the tasks of lifestyle is very cumbersome. But over time, these tasks — things like making a shopping list or remembering to show off the oven — become easier. Using computer games, users can “practice” everyday habits until they're ingrained into their recovering brain. Doing so in an exceedingly virtual environment helps increase repetition, which, in turn, can help patients recover faster. Augmented reality is additionally becoming a great tool for these patients to allow them additional information, reminders, or cues after they are navigating their everyday lives. These additional bits of data provided by AR can help make the transition back to full independence easier and faster.
AR and VR still present new opportunities for organizations to leverage virtual experiences to vary the way they are doing business — and medicine and health care are at the forefront of this shift. within the coming months and years, you'll be able to expect to work out AR and VR take a fair larger role within the health and well-being of patients worldwide.
Technical aspects
VR and AR include certain hardware requirements so as to retain high standards of simulation. The computerized 3D pictures and audio must be realistic and simulate both real and abstract structures. The motion of the user should be detected with high precision in order that the sight view (size, shape, angle of objects) and auditory stimuli (volume, sound balance) can change accordingly. The user must be ready to affect the virtual environment but also to be affected via haptic feedback stimuli. Haptic devices, like joysticks, gloves, and other specialized tools, serve these haptic interaction needs. High-performance computer power is required to process the large amount of knowledge produced, with low, unnoticeable latency. of these contribute to the key element of VR and AR: immersion of the user over the environment. Moreover, fast and reliable Internet connection is required to support the newest trend in VR field, namely, the establishment of VR fora where users meet and interact with one another online, in an exceedingly common virtual environment
Most of the tutorial applications of VR and AR seem to own construct and predictive validity, with the acquired skills to be transferable to real situations. However, the credibility of several of those studied can be questionable. First of all, many of them don't seem to be randomized studies, with cohorts of various characteristics and an inadequate number of participants (less than 30 in most studies). Moreover, there are few studies for every simulator, and there are not any similar standards in their design, so they might be summarized and directly compared. additionally, many of the studies relating to specific simulators become quickly outdated as they are doing not take into consideration the simulators’ continuous upgrades. Moreover, the extent of the decay of the abilities overtime must be elucidated. When these properties, together with the price factors, are clarified, then we are able to examine the way that VR and AR will be officially incorporated in medical education curricula.