As holograms emerge as viable solutions to problems faced across various industries, one industry, in particular, begs holographic application: medical holograms. The medical industry already has a well established practice of using imaging to diagnose, plan, and execute treatment, and for education of practitioners and patients alike. Business solutions and technology company IKIN is intent on putting their hologram technology to work addressing this growing need within the medical field. Medical holograms are not a wholly original construct but rather an enhancement of established practices. The ability to make 3D what has traditionally been achieved through 2D imaging will give medical practitioners a better view and understanding of their work, benefiting patients first and foremost and advancing medicine on the whole.
Enhancing Medical Imaging Through Hologram Technology
Rather than building medical holograms from the ground up as original, stand-alone technology, holograms can instead be applied to existing imaging technologies to push their capabilities further than are currently possible. Medical imaging processes captured through MRIs, CT and PET scans, ultrasounds, etc. are already being converted from 2D into 3D through the use of computer software. The further enhancement of this imaging content into 3D holograms is a logical next step.
Removing Human Error Through Holographic Conversions
An article on medical holography by the Technica Institute, an organization that advocates for applying developing technologies in the healthcare industry, identifies the current skill of medical practitioners–specifically surgeons–to mentally visualize organs and procedures in 3D based on the guidance of 2D image scans. This is common practice in contemporary medicine, and it is a practice that is subject to human error. Medical holograms promise to rid doctors of this faliable mental process by converting imaging data through hologram technology. The result: fully realized 3D holograms, which can be scaled and rotated as needed. Clear images that are dimensionally accurate and authentic in color can be applied to any number of practices in the healthcare industry.
Applications For Medical Holograms
An October 2020 article in the Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging, written by Abid Haleem et al., considers the various applications of medical holograms. Included are the use of hologram technology to view human skeletons, identify abnormal growths, detect serious abnormalities, map both the inside and outside of a patient’s body, identify complex fractures, and view detailed colorful information of the body and its organs, among other potential uses. Additionally addressed in this work and others are the enticing possibilities of using medical holograms for presentation, simulation, and education within medical communities. A brief piece by the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons deems the potential of medical holograms to visualize life-size, true to form, 3‐D representations of organs and body systems as “invaluable,” further claiming that hologram technology could one day replace cadavers in medical school anatomy courses. And, the addition of animation to holograms could “further strengthen the advantages on creating true representations of physiology along with the relevant anatomy.” A less talked about, but nonetheless centrally important, application will be the ability to store patient data in holographic form. Beyond the immediate benefits of medical holograms to assess and illustrate diagnosis, like traditional medical records, hologram technology can be stored for future use and longitudinal evaluation.
IKIN’s Hologram Technology: Opening Doors To Medical Holograms
IKIN is actively developing its hologram technology and ever-expanding its applications. From the start, IKIN leadership has identified healthcare as an industry that would benefit greatly from the enhanced capabilities of medical holograms. IKIN’s current holographic systems generate interactive 3D holograms that are interactive, volumetric, fully colored, and viewable in ambient light without the assistance of headgear like goggles or glasses–all traits required to fully implement holograms as effectively as possible into common medical practice. The RYZ holographic system operates as a coupling application to smartphones and tablets, integrating with the device’s native software to produce mobile holograms that are accessible to users. This technology is already being tested with the Department of Defences in a Marine Corps 5G testbed smart warehouse facility in Georgia, where the RYZ is increasing organization and operational efficiency by providing holographic access to stored inventory. Similar concepts could easily be applied to the medical industry, making medical holograms available to the fingertips of doctors and patients.
To learn more about developments in hologram technology, please visit the IKIN blog. And, remember to follow IKIN on social media.
