Our bodies are unique not only in their external physical appearance, but on the inside too! Clinicians treating patients, and the patients themselves, often have to imagine where specific organs, bones, and other anatomical features are located.
A surgeon, for example, has to decide where to make an incision in order to be as close as possible to the area to be worked on. Physical therapists spend a lot of time explaining the anatomy of muscles and bones and how an exercise can help.
Now researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada have developed a system that projects imaging scans, such as CT and MRI, directly onto the patient. The result is an accurate 3D-like representation of the insides of the patient, which continues to work even if the patient is moving.
The so-called ProjectDR uses markers placed on the body of the patient and tracking cameras to constantly align the projected image with the person’s body. The individual can turn and even bow, with the system compensating continuously.
Check out this proof of concept demonstration: