Microsoft’s HoloLens Provides Innovative Platform that Educators at Case Believe Can Revolutionize the Study of Medicine
As a leader in healthcare and medical innovations, Northeast Ohio institutions are at the forefront of a new technology that is sweeping the medical arena: augmented reality. Unlike virtual reality, which immerses a person in a complete 360-degree virtual environment, augmented reality layers virtual objects and images into the real world via holographs on a screen. While augmented reality is being used across multiple industries, it is making a significant impact in medical circles. As doctors and researchers seek to learn more about how to apply augmented reality to the field of medicine, innovators at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Clinic represent two early adopters that are helping lead the charge.
In fact, the two esteemed Northeast Ohio institutions have partnered with Microsoft on an augmented reality technology that the tech giant calls HoloLens. Per Microsoft’s website, HoloLens “is the first self-contained, holographic computer” that enables users to engage with digital content while interacting with holograms in the world around them. Case and the Cleveland Clinic are using HoloLens as a teaching tool, providing medical students an opportunity to visualize the human body unlike ever before. As Case and the Cleveland Clinic collaborate on their Health Education Campus, a state-of-the-art project that will include the schools of nursing, dental medicine, and medicine, Microsoft’s HoloLens will serve as an important technology used across several health disciplines. What is more, the HoloLens will enable students to learn together, providing 3D images of organs, systems and even surgical patients.
To fully appreciate the power of augmented reality and how it can revolutionize the medical world, take a few minutes to watch this video.
As illustrated in the video, teams at Case and the Cleveland Clinic believe that this innovative technology will have the power to revolutionize how medical students learn. Instead of relying on text books to study anatomy, for example, the HoloLens enables users to view any anatomical part, move it around and even look through it. This unique perspective provides a degree of sophistication not possible with traditional educational approaches. The use of augmented reality in the classroom also eliminates the need for cadavers, a development that many educators find promising.
As a hub of biomedical innovation, the early adoption of augmented reality technology by Case the Cleveland Clinic is yet another example of how our region is a pioneer in the field of medicine. Earlier this year, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic performed a groundbreaking stroke surgery. The procedure was a part of an ongoing clinical trial aimed at improving movement in stroke recovery patients.
Fueled by a network of globally-recognized clinical and research institutions, 700+ biomedical companies and a pool of talented workers, these types of innovations and groundbreaking procedures have come to characterize Northeast Ohio, the Medical Capital. In fact, these collective assets led Qmed to name Cleveland to its top 10 list of cities in the U.S. for medtech innovation. As our region looks to stay on the cutting-edge of medical advancements, the adoption of augmented reality by Case and the Cleveland Clinic help put us in the fast lane yet again, especially in terms of educating the next generation of doctors and healthcare professionals.
To learn more about augmented reality and how it is being used by Case and the Cleveland Clinic, please follow the links below.
Related Articles: