Abstract
The immersive technologies of Virtual and Augmented Reality offer a new medium for visualisation. Where previous technologies allowed us only two-dimensional representations, constrained by a surface or a screen, these new immersive technologies will soon allow us to experience three dimensional environments that can occupy our entire field of view. This is a technological breakthrough for any field that requires visualisation, and in this chapter I explore the implications for medical visualisation in the near-to-medium future.
First, I introduce Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality respectively, and identify the essential characteristics, and current state-of-the-art, for each. I will then survey some prominent applications already in-use within the medical field, and suggest potential use cases that remain under-explored. Finally, I will offer practical advice for those seeking to exploit these new tools.
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Notes
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Current examples include the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Samsung Odyssey.
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In October 2018, Oculus announced the Quest standalone system, which will be launched in Spring 2019 (Oculus 2018). The explicit claim is that this will have “Rift-level” visual quality, but at the time of writing, this quality claim remains unverified.
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Though depth perception appears to err systematically in VR (Thompson et al. 2004).
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It is interesting to note that Iron Man has no inherent superpowers, but his use of technology – including AR – puts him on a par with those, like Captain America, or Thor, who do.
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One organisation which aims to connect academics, industry, and practitioners who work with immersive technology, is ImmerseUK: https://www.immerseuk.org/
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McDonnell, N. (2019). Immersive Technology and Medical Visualisation: A Users Guide. In: Rea, P. (eds) Biomedical Visualisation . Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1156. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19385-0_9
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