Dr. Sarah Murthi tests an augmented reality prototype that overlays ultrasound image data directly onto the patient. This allows constant visual contact between the patient and the image sensor instead of repeatedly looking at the monitor. (Photo credit: Maryland Blended Reality Center)
When most people think of virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive media technologies, they focus on the entertainment aspect, but these tools have become medical assets.
In May, the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced a partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Michigan to create the Center for Medical Innovation in Augmented Reality (MIXR). Established with $5 million from the National Science Foundation’s Collaborative Research Center Program, the center aims to accelerate the development of these technologies into clinical trials and, ultimately, their wider medical application. I am aiming for
Companies such as Microsoft, Meta and Google also contribute funding and expertise to teams to develop, test and certify these technologies for use in the medical field.
Amitabh Varshney is Professor of Computer Science and Dean of Computers, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland. (Photo credit: John T. Consoli / University of Maryland)
“Virtual reality has many applications in the healthcare environment,” said Amitabh Varshney, Dean and Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland-College Park, and principal investigator of MIXR. “For training, we’ve already done research that shows people retain information better than they would if they were looking at the same information on a 2D desktop screen. Almost 9%.”
Staff also receive virtual reality training for specialized surgical techniques such as emergency fasciotomy, which cuts the fascia to relieve tension and pressure and treat the resulting loss of circulation to areas of tissue or muscle. Developed a prototype.
For augmented reality, the team developed a point-of-care ultrasound prototype that displays information directly to the patient, so doctors don’t have to keep looking away from the monitor.
“These examples are just the beginning,” says Varshney. “The additional momentum and synergies that our new center will bring will enable immersive headsets to be ready for use, including working with federal regulatory experts to bring new devices and technologies into clinical practice more quickly. We expect that in the not-too-distant future, it’s as commonplace in a hospital environment as a stethoscope.”
Officials point out that MIXR is necessary because of the rapid pace of private-sector movements pushing new immersive technologies used for gaming, entertainment, education and training. This has led scientists and physicians to use the same visualization tools in clinical settings and advanced medical training.
“Our new center will be a focal point for industry to collaborate at the highest levels with academia and medical professionals to build, test and certify new devices that can significantly improve patient care and medical training. We believe that we will achieve our goals,” said Varshney.
In 2017, Varshney began initial work with Dr. Sarah Murthi at the Blended Reality Center (MBRC) in Maryland.
“Working with Dr. Sarah Marty and her colleagues in Baltimore has been extremely exciting and rewarding,” he said. “They are the pinnacle of paramedics. Now, with additional participation from technology leaders like Google, Microsoft and others, we believe we have created a critical mass to move ideas forward quickly and efficiently.” The common theme of using technology to improve patient outcomes has driven our efforts from the beginning, and as a computer scientist, it’s been particularly satisfying for me.”
MBRC will continue to work on other immersive projects not directly related to medicine and healthcare, such as using implicit bias training and immersive environments to train foreign language professionals to very high levels. They also worked with artists and performers to bring new ideas in classical music and opera to the stage.
“So while some of MIXR’s new activities may overlap with work at MBRC, we see them as separate but complementary entities,” said Varshney.
Some of the new activities that MIXR staff are exploring are still underutilized in the medical field. Murti focuses on quadriplegic patients who are hospitalized with acute spinal cord injury and is committed to helping patients cope with physical and emotional trauma by immersing themselves in another world. One collaborator, Dr. Luana Colloca, is a physician using immersive technology to reduce the need for addictive opioid analgesics.
Varshney and his UM colleagues are in the process of completing the HoloCamera studio, which fuses over 300 immersive cameras to create images of 3D visualization techniques to help train providers to perform challenging medical procedures. is in
“We are in the final stages of addressing the technical challenges that arose in fusing 300 immersive cameras,” he said. “The system works, but it needs to work seamlessly for what we think it is: advanced training for emergency medical procedures. He plans to work on his scenario in user research training.”
The collaborators plan a three-day kickoff in College Park in October, bringing together all MIXR partners, including scientists, physicians, private technology companies, and federal regulatory experts. The event is designed to brainstorm topics for the near future and the next five years. Mr Varshney said:
