Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Background: The Augmented Reality (AR) blends digital information with the real world. Thanks to cameras, sensors, and displays it can supplement the physical world with holographic images. Nowadays, the applications of AR range from navigated surgery to vehicle navigation. Development: The purpose of this feasibility study was to develop an AR holographic system implementing Vertucci’s classification of dental root morphology to facilitate the study of tooth anatomy. It was tailored to run on the AR HoloLens 2 (Microsoft) glasses. The 3D tooth models were created in Autodesk Maya and exported to Unity software. The holograms of dental roots can be projected in a natural setting of the dental office. The application allowed to display 3D objects in such a way that they could be rotated, zoomed in/out, and penetrated. The advantage of the proposed approach was that students could learn a 3D internal anatomy of the teeth without environmental visual restrictions. Conclusions: It is feasible to visualize internal dental root anatomy with AR holographic system. AR holograms seem to be attractive adjunct for learning of root anatomy.

mixed reality, augmented reality, holography, tooth, dental root, root canal, visualization

Background: Immersive technologies like Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are becoming increasingly popular and gain user trust across various fields, particularly in medicine. In this paper we will use the general term Mixed Reality (MR) to refer to the various virtual reality methods, namely VR and AR. These new immersive technologies require varying degrees of instruction, both in their practice use, as well as in how to adjust to interacting with 3D virtual spaces. This study assesses the pedagogical value of these immersive technologies in medical education. Method: We surveyed a group of 211 students and 47 academic faculty at a medical college regarding potential applications of MR in the medical curriculum by using a questionnaire comprised of eight questions. Results were analyzed accounting for user age and professional position, i.e., student vs faculty. Results: 70% of students and 60% of the academic faculty think that MR-supplemented education is advantageous over a classical instruction. Most highly valued were the 3D visualization capabilities of MR, especially in anatomy classes. There was no significant statistical difference between students and faculty responders. Moreover, screensharing between faculty and students contributed to better, longer lasting absorption of knowledge. Surprisingly, the main issue was related to availability, i.e., only 5% of students had access to MR, while 17% of faculty use MR regularly, and 36% occasionally. Conclusions: MR technology can be a valuable resource that supports traditional medical education, especially via 3D anatomy classes, however MR availability needs to be increased. Moreover, MR expands the capabilities and effectiveness of remote learning, which was normalized during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure effective student and patient education. MR-based lessons, or even select modules, provide a unique opportunity to ex-change experiences inside and outside the medical community.

mixed reality, e-learning, remote learning, real-time rendering, 3D visualization, medical education

Immersive technologies, like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) have undergone technical evolutions over the last few decades. Their rapid development and dynamic changes enable their effective applications in medicine, in fields like imaging, preprocedural planning, treatment, operations planning, medical students training, and active support during therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures. Within this paper, a comprehensive analysis of VR/AR/MR application in the medical industry and education is presented. We overview and discuss our previous experience with AR/MR and 3D visual environment and MR-based imaging systems in cardiology and interventional cardiology. Our research shows that using immersive technologies users can not only visualize the heart and its structure but also obtain quantitative feedback on their location. The MR-based imaging system proposed offers better visualization to interventionists and potentially helps users understand complex operational cases. The results obtained suggest that technology using VR/AR/MR can be successfully used in the teaching process of future doctors, both in aspects related to anatomy and clinical classes. Moreover, the system proposed provides a unique opportunity to break the boundaries, interact in the learning process, and exchange experiences inside the medical community.

augmented reality, improving the education process, interaction, intraprocedural visualization, mixed reality, preprocedural planning, teaching