Covid and Big Tech are driving Augmented Reality into healthcare

Augmented Reality tech is helping hospitals to deliver better patient care while at the same time cutting down on Covid infection danger, as Giacomo Lee reports.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool has added to a long list of “firsts” in its century-long history by making innovative use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology to help its staff deliver better care.

“I was in the operating theatre performing a complex repair on a little heart, no bigger than the size of a strawberry,” says Rafael Guerrero, heart unit director and chief of congenital cardiac surgery at Alder Hey, one of the largest children’s hospitals in the UK.

Guerrero, who is also clinical director of innovation at Alder Hey, is recounting how he strapped on a pair of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 smartglasses during surgery last year, bringing a new kind of cutting edge into the operating theatre – that of augmented reality. Transmitting the view of the patient’s heart live through HoloLens to colleagues nowhere nearby, as well as reviewing the echocardiogram at the same time, the procedure was another example of groundbreaking healthcare in Alder Hey’s wards.

In those wards there’s an obvious risk that Covid stalks the corridors, but older stalwarts such as MRSA remain equally infectious. As such, Alder Hey, the first hospital to test penicillin and to establish a neo-natal unit in the UK, wanted to use immersive, augmented and mixed reality (MR) technology to reduce the amount of physical contact between hospital staff and the public.

Working with Insight’s FastStart service to find technological solutions, the hospital primarily needed a way to communicate and share images and real life scenarios with other practitioners, regardless of location. This had to be done through video and audio in real time 24/7, not only for remote patient care, but also virtual ward rounds and staff training.

Wearing a HoloLens 2 device running Microsoft’s remote assist software Dynamics 365, Guerrero could perform his rounds alone. Other specialists joined in using the Teams app, seeing exactly what the clinician saw, along with three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography.

Alongside this augmented reality including real-life video, there was the ability for 2-way audio/video communication and sharing other visual content. Other important tasks  – such as updating patient records  – could also be redistributed among the team to save time as Guerrero worked.

“Using HoloLens, we have already demonstrated the potential of mixed-reality healthcare applications to minimise the number of staff required to be in contact with patients; share expertise in the shortest possible time and from any location; and, ultimately, increase the quality of care,”.

Guerrero believes these applications would allow Alder Hey to support clinicians and patients in other hospitals and in the community, without the need for travel in either direction, thus helping efficiency and expertise-sharing in the NHS.

“While Covid-19 has acted as a catalyst, mixed reality devices that can support collaboration, mobility and remote learning need to be part of the technology that we use to drive a healthcare revolution,” says the specialist.

The Augmented Reality revolution in health

GlobalData forecasts that the global AR market will be worth $76bn by 2030, up from $4bn in 2018. As GlobalData analysts write in a recent report on AR in the health industry, “the healthcare sector is undergoing a digital transformation, fuelled by changing healthcare payor and provider need … AR is gradually making its way into the healthcare sector.”

This revolution is coming about for various reasons in more than one area of healthcare. Another application of AR is aiding visualisation during minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Startups such as Medivis and Proprio are selling MR solutions in the surgical space, with the latter recently talking to Verdict about its AR and artificial intelligence-combined solution. Surgeons can also benefit from the augmented reality “x-ray vision” granted by US brand Augmedix, with an AR navigation tech that allows them to see a patient’s anatomy through skin and tissue whilst operating.

AR is a useful surgeon’s aid for the the visualisation of complex biological processes. EchoPixel’s True 3D software can help healthcare professionals visualise and interact with 3D images that depict human tissue and organs in open space as if they were real objects. Novarad’s OpenSight solution renders 2D, 3D and 4D images of patients interactively, while accurately overlaying them directly onto the patient’s body. Both solutions allow for more accurate surgical planning.

Credit: sh22 via Getty Images

Distant doctors, digital health

The Alder Hey case study, though, shows how AR can be useful when integrated into telemedicine to help healthcare specialists work remotely. The same can apply to medical students: Imperial College London pre-empted Alder Hey somewhat in early 2020 by creating the world’s first virtual ward round for medical students, who watched as a HoloLens-equipped doctor examined a patient.

In times of social distancing, medical students can improve their knowledge and skills by accessing human body models created by AR. Solutions like those from EchoPixel allow medical students to familiarize themselves with the human anatomy and practice surgeries on virtual patients.

Real-life flesh and blood patients can also benefit from an augmented reality when distanced from doctors. A recent GlobalData report on digital health solutions in neurology suggests that virtual reality (VR) and AR are “well placed as a therapy product for neuropsychological conditions because virtual simulations of the outside world are highly realistic and immersive, as well as being non-invasive and non-pharmacological.”

Simulations offer less time-consuming options in comparison to some pharmacological interventions due to their immersive attributes, making for highly engaging forms of therapy.

Indeed, augmented reality technology appears in therapies targeting everything from chronic pain management, mental health and addiction, to behavioural conditions and neurorehabilitation. AR is also used effectively in exposure therapy, overlaying the hands of insect-phobic patients in live video with digital cockroaches and spiders. Cognoa’s Superpower Glass wearable meanwhile, a device based on Google Glass, helps autistic children better understand facial expressions through the use of emojis overlaid on the lens.

Home invasion

The rise of AR in health comes as VR/AR headsets and smart glasses become cheaper, and more AR apps appear on smartphones. Some brands like XRHealth are even sending out headsets to customers to treat ADHD using extended reality (XR). With FDA approval and products covered by insurance for over 50 million people in the US, XRHealth was able to trial a service which also offers a personalised care plan, in-app messaging and video calls with a dedicated clinician. While headsets may be an alien concept in the common household, especially so with regards to healthcare, teleconferencing with a medical professional is perhaps more agreeable to consumers after the pandemic’s video boom.

Medical professionals themselves are also succumbing to AR’s charms. A 2021 poll shared in GlobalData’s report on digital health in neurology found that 18% of 109 respondents in the industry thought AR/VR solutions would be most suitable to treat mental and behavioural health conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse compared to other technologies. Meanwhile 15% of 110 respondents believed AR/VR technologies would be most suitable for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Credit: sh22 via Getty Images

Big Tech is pushing Augmented Reality in health

Besides the approval of the medical community, AR will also need Big Tech’s money to fully push it through the hospital doors. The adoption of HoloLens devices by Alder Hey and other hospitals shows that Microsoft already has one foot in the door. The tech company’s recent $19.7bn purchase of Nuance Communications will also help.

UK-based Nuance, a speech-recognition company best known for having provided Siri’s speech recognition engine, offers enterprise AI tools that transcribe doctors’ notes and visits during a working day. It isn’t much of a stretch to see that tech mixed with smart glasses: Healthcare professionals regularly require access to information systems, whilst often needing their hands free.

Here AR can reduce the burnout physicians face as it provides easy and quick access to real-time information, thus easing administrative burden. Data from the US suggests that more than 50% of the physician workforce is burned out, with excessive admin a major contributory factor; such burnout can affect safety and the quality of care in hospitals, and also increase healthcare costs.

With smart glasses augmenting reality, staff can work and take notes without the added weight of a physical notepad. This also allows for more accuracy as notes are taken in real-time, rather than the staff trying to recall information after patient interactions.

For Guerrero, this easier way of dealing with information was one reason why the HoloLens experiment was a successful one in Alder Hey.

“Ultimately, the success of any procedure is down to the skills of the surgeon and the team,” he tells Verdict. “Although new technology is used as a tool or aid for the surgeon to use, there are other ways of accessing the same information. It just takes longer and is not as accessible.”

In general, AR in medical devices is led by smaller vendors specialising in software and apps, according to GlobalData analyst Aliyah Farouk. But big tech players are investing in healthcare and working with the industry’s giants. Roche for example partnered with Samsung’s AR/VR subsidiary Harman in 2020.

“It’s difficult to say the extent of investment or impact in augmented healthcare as this is still a largely untapped market,” says Farouk. “You can look at areas where AR is making a big difference in tech, e.g. smart glasses and whether these devices are being used for healthcare purposes. For example, Google relaunched Google Glass Enterprise in 2017 targeting healthcare companies.

“Harman’s collaboration with Roche and Microsoft’s recent purchase of Nuance is reflective of this trend where healthcare companies are increasing their connectivity/digitalization and tech companies are capitalizing on this.”

fonte: https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/covid-and-big-tech-are-driving-augmented-reality-into-healthcare/

Nextech AR Solutions Announces Limited Early Access to HoloX – Telepresence Creator Platform

HoloX advances self-serve augmented reality human holograms

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (“Nextech” or the “Company”) (OTCQB: NEXCF) (NEO: NTAR) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: N29), a diversified leading provider of augmented reality (“AR”) experience technologies and services, is pleased to announce an exclusive, early access program for users to create, view and share their human holograms. Program participation will support the development lifecycle of HoloX, leading to its full release expected in the third quarter of 2021. In addition to the smart packaging use case noted below, AR human holograms have uses within dating applications, speaker keynotes, remote support, virtual brand ambassadors for new product launches and episodic content for marketing.

For HoloX early access program – limited to 100 seats – and DEMO VIDEO, CLICK HERE.

“Our goal to allow anyone to create and share their own augmented reality human hologram – using just a smart phone – is the key step towards mass adoption,” commented Evan Gappelberg, Founder and CEO of Nextech AR Solutions. “With the ongoing advancements made to our applications, we continue to tie together our AR offerings into one platform that offers an array of AR solutions. The ability to create the feeling of presence – or being in the same room in real time – with a live-streaming human hologram is one of the core technologies that will lead the transformation towards spatial computing.”

“At Nextech AR, we are bridging physical and digital worlds,” commented Paul Duffy, President and Chairman of Nextech, creator of the HumaGram™ and holder of multiple patents for Augmented Reality and Holographic Telepresence. “AR is the new mass medium used for the benefit of humanity and I’m pleased to see it become a reality. We firmly believe that utilizing live streaming human holograms will result in an explosion of new use cases and is destined to play a significant role in global entertainment, commerce and learning.”

About HoloX

Powered by artificial intelligence and augmented reality, HoloX builds on the Company’s AiRShow app (Google Play; Apple App Store) used in the music and entertainment industries where artists and public speakers utilize holograms to meet individual audience members where they are – often in their own homes. In addition, this technology has been applied successfully to smart packaging where AR human holograms are used to engage, enable and retain customers while increasing product sales and brand awareness. Nextech sees additional use cases with holographic dating applications, speaker keynotes, remote support, virtual brand ambassadors for new product launches and episodic content for marketing.

fonte: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005465/en/Nextech-AR-Solutions-Announces-Limited-Early-Access-to-HoloX-%E2%80%93-Telepresence-Creator-Platform

LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES

LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES is a new work by renowned artist Jenny Holzer that presents her signature text-based art through the medium of augmented reality (AR). This unique artwork, made exclusively for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and accessed through a standalone application for mobile devices, provides three distinct AR experiences—two site-specific works that engage the Guggenheim Bilbao’s architecture and a third that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES harnesses new technology in a continuation of what Holzer does best: placing thought-provoking texts in the public sphere in a democratic and accessible way.

For over four decades, Holzer has experimented with the written word, constantly innovating strategies for the display of her works. Texts—sometimes the artist’s own, other times quotations by writers she admires—appear in bold fonts chosen for their direct, approachable quality. Since 1996 she has projected words in light onto landscapes and architecture, an act of ephemeral graffiti that recalls her early practice of pasting anonymous Truisms posters on the streets of New York City. The Truisms, comprising over 250 single-sentence declarations, embody a range of voices and viewpoints, eliciting diverse responses. The artist has a long-standing interest in appropriating the modes and media of official communication, presenting compelling messages on news screens, bronze plaques, and stone benches as well as T-shirts, condom wrappers, and pencils. Her work has long occupied an important place in public art, often through temporary offerings such as arresting large-scale projections and roving digital billboard trucks emblazoned with her texts. Her voice remains resonant and courageous, inviting viewer engagement through the simple act of reading.

At the Guggenheim Bilbao, an AR version of one of Holzer’s signature LED signs glides through the central Atrium, the column bending and spiraling as Truisms in English, Spanish, Basque, and French scroll past. Each of the museum’s three floors provides a different experience, as the LED’s interaction with the building’s architecture shifts depending on one’s vantage point. Outside, AR projections appear on the museum’s facade from five locations around the campus in a virtual echo of the artist’s monumental 2019 work For Bilbao, which was presented in conjunction with her retrospective exhibition Thing Indescribable. The texts selected by Holzer for the AR projections are by other authors; the work’s title, LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES, is borrowed from Polish poet Anna Świrszczyńska’s poem “Beauty Dies,” one of the many arresting texts that Holzer has made into immaterial spectacle. The artwork’s final component can be accessed from anywhere in the world and enables users to see Holzer’s Truisms take form in space over any live view. This new possibility embodies the spirit that has informed Holzer’s practice throughout her long career of placing language in the public domain to spark reflection and contemplation.

THE IMPACT ON PUBLIC SPACE

The public space surrounding the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is the setting for one of three augmented reality experiences designed as part of the app LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES. Bilbao residents and visitors can look for the QR codes at five points around the museum, open the app and enjoy virtual light projections on the facade.

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY

This immersive and dynamic artwork is made possible by a mobile app that uses AR to provide unlimited access to three virtual experiences. Harnessing augmented reality, advanced image-recognition technology, 3D spatial positioning and cutting-edge graphics features, users can watch the AR version of the LED sign move through the museum’s atrium. They can also see a recreation of Holzer’s nighttime projections, facilitated by their devices’ GPS and gyroscope features, which direct them to various points around the outside of the museum. Combining digital technologies with the real-world, this innovative mobile app developed by London-based digital agency Holition brings Holzer’s practice to users’ own mobile devices.

LIKE BEAUTY IN FLAMES demonstrates a commitment on the part of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to technology in the arts. This project marks the beginning of a three-year plan to present pioneering projects in which technology is central to the artwork.

fonte: https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/la-coleccion/obras/like-beauty-in-flames

Extended Reality In Healthcare: 3 Reasons The Industry Must Get Ready For AR And VR

There is huge potential to apply extended reality (XR) technologies – namely, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) – to healthcare. From self-care and wellbeing to treatment and even surgical procedures, XR is already helping to improve many aspects of healthcare. Sure, it’s early days, but the transformation is underway. And that means the healthcare industry must get ready.

Extended Reality In Healthcare: 3 Reasons The Industry Must Get Ready For AR And VR ADOBE STOCK

Here are three reasons why the healthcare industry should embrace XR technologies.

1. XR can improve wellbeing

The positive effects of mindfulness and meditation on overall health and wellbeing are well documented. As such, a plethora of meditation apps have sprung up to help people meditate and de-stress, often using relaxing sounds and guided instructions. Now, some of these solutions are incorporating VR to make guided meditations more immersive.

Guided Meditation VR is one such app. It comes with more than 100 ready-made meditations in beautiful virtual settings, such as a beach, a secluded forest, and even the top of a mountain. Meanwhile, gentle audio instructions guide you through various breathing exercises. If you’ve struggled with meditation because you can’t tune out the real world, then putting on a VR headset and using a VR meditation app could help you literally block out everything around you. I can certainly see the benefits of this.

2. XR can help to visualize medical data more effectively

Now let’s move onto an AR example. Because it overlays digital images and information onto the real-world view, AR is ideally suited to visualizing medical information – such as overlaying anatomical data onto the patient in real life. This can help clinicians carry out procedures in a faster, more accurate way.

A simple example comes from AccuVein, the global leader in vein visualization. Here, a map of veins is overlayed onto the surface of the patient’s skin to help health professionals find veins more easily (for starting IVs and drawing blood). The technology is primarily used to help clinicians find veins that otherwise couldn’t be seen or felt, and evidence shows that vein visualization dramatically improves clinicians’ ability to find these difficult veins on the first attempt – by as much as 98 percent in pediatric cases and 96 percent with adult patients.

3. XR can improve therapeutic treatments and even surgeries

Meanwhile, VR is proving to have serious therapeutic chops. Among other things, it can be used to immerse patients in relaxing simulated environments, which can help to calm them before (or even during) treatment, reduce pain and generally improve the experience of being in a hospital or clinical setting.

In one example, a team in Brazil used VR to help children beat their fear of vaccinations. The project, called VR Vaccine, involved children watching (via a VR headset) an animated adventure story, while a nurse (who can see the story unfolding on a separate screen) synchronizes the action of cleansing the skin and administering the injection with the story. The team’s research showed that most children feared the needle itself rather than the pain they might feel, so the VR approach was devised to essentially block out and distract from the needle. The project, the brainchild of Brazilian pharmacy chain Hermes Pardini, was so successful, the company has since installed VR headsets in all of its pharmacies to help with its vaccine campaigns.

But VR isn’t just for kids. For adult patients under regional anesthetic (i.e., they aren’t “put under” for the procedure), VR has been proven to help patients stay calm and relaxed during surgery. At St George’s Hospital in London, patients undergoing procedures with regional anesthetic were given the option of using a VR headset before and during their operation, which immersed them in calming virtual landscapes. This proved incredibly effective; a staggering 100 percent of participants said wearing the headset improved their overall hospital experience, 94 percent said they felt more relaxed, and 80 percent reported feeling less pain. Patients reported feeling so immersed in the experience; they weren’t even aware of being in the operating theater.

I hope these examples show how XR can help to enhance healthcare. As well as improving patient outcomes, VR and AR can improve accessibility for health and wellbeing services. With a growing population and people generally living longer lives, healthcare services around the world are coming under increasing pressure (and that’s without the impact of COVID-19). Our healthcare systems are already struggling. Waiting times can be long, access to certain services (such as mental health services) can be limited, and, depending on where you are in the world, medical treatment can be hugely expensive. We urgently need greater adoption of technology in healthcare to alleviate these pressures – and I believe XR has a key role to play in this.

fonte: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/14/extended-reality-in-healthcare-3-reasons-the-industry-must-get-ready-for-ar-and-vr/?sh=25b6223573a4

ADVANCES IN AR AND VR WILL MAKE HUMAN GESTURES THE NEW COMPUTER INTERFACE

Think about this: Facebook is dedicating one-fifth of its staff to augmented and virtual reality—that’s about 10,000 people.

More importantly, they are building a reality that will shape our reality in the near future.

Our ability to “function” in and throughout the virtual and augmented world is advancing and this is establishing a new domain for our engagement in the digital world.

From the days of the punchcards, to the keyboard, to touch screen, and even voice, we are both detaching and attaching to this technological reality. Gaming may be the best example of that “other” reality that sometimes looms larger than our own world—whatever that reality may be. 

One aspect of human engagement—gesturing, remains an essential and enduring component of human communication.

From a simple “come here” to other more vulgar signs, a gesture can be a very powerful, effective, and powerful tool. And now, the electronic gesture is taking shape.

As the mouse takes a backseat to touch screens, the interactions of the user—with the device and others who may be watching—yield a new aspect of e-body language.

Reaching, pointing, touching, and grasping will no longer be part of our physical world, but will be part of the virtual construct that will be central to the user experience and live alongside that “point and click” reality that defined the early days of our computer engagement.

The gesture—in open air—will emerge. As funny as we may find someone walking down the street seemingly talking to him or herself while on a call, soon we will find those animated talkers gesturing with abandon as they navigate the technological world that consumes them in both time and space. The digital gesture or gesticulation has emerged.

Enter eticulate, the e-version of gesticulate.

Gesticulation is the act of gesture and now this notion of the computer gesture is emerging and living in and with technology. Touch, push, move, stretch, and point are now becoming part of the “body language” of the computer.

The interesting thing is that this new method isn’t just a step forward in technology, but a step back to humanity. It integrates the device with the individual. It’s the internet that you hold like a pet or shake hands with.

It’s a very real an extension of yourself and establishes a direct neural connection with the way your brain functions. It’s your chance to include a “hug” in your technological engagement. And that may even drive your body’s creation of powerful chemicals such as oxytocin, sometimes called the “cuddle hormone.” 

The new techno-gestures bring us closer to technology itself and expands our participatory role in a very human way. It’s called eticulate, and it touched you here first!

fonte: https://www.bbntimes.com/technology/advances-in-ar-and-vr-will-make-human-gestures-the-new-computer-interface

EDP employs augmented reality to improve customer experience

European energy company EDP has deployed a technology to enhance operational efficiencies, to better resolve customers’ issues, and to carry out remote site surveys prior to the installation of solar panels.

The technology to be deployed is Vodafone Visual Assistance. It will be provided to consumers and field technicians in multiple EDP subsidiaries and will be powered by Portugal’s TechSee.

The technology will enable consumers and technicians to receive augmented-reality based visual guidance through their smartphones using patented browser-based technology. This will decrease technical dispatches, enhance the customer experience, improved margins with increased sales, as well as reduced service costs.

The technology allows users to instantly stream their mobile device camera or screen via web connection, for real-time, interactive visual engagement between customer and technician. This will reduce repetitive customer inquiries such as meter readings, billing queries and troubleshooting, while reducing customer effort.

EDP is exploring the possibility of expanding Vodafone Visual Support to additional subsidiaries and other geolocations in the future. Jorge Simões, EDP’s Head of Digital Factory, said: “We are excited to launch this new and innovative service, providing visual assistance to our end users for more efficient operations and enhanced customer experience.

“Vodafone Portugal is committed to providing EDP with an innovative contact center technology to further enhance an optimal customer experience. With Vodafone Visual Support our agents will be able to provide a more complete and efficient service that will lead to greater customer satisfaction.” according to Mafalda Alves Dias, Vodafone Portugal’s Head of Large & Public Sector.

fonte: https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/customer-services-management/edp-employs-augmented-reality-to-improve-customer-experience/

Una call internazionale per selezionare 50 artisti digitali

Le loro opere in 18 Comuni delle Madonie

Una nuova call internazionale per selezionare 50 artisti digitali che saranno chiamati a produrre opere digitali nei 18 comuni partner (Alimena, Aliminusa, Bompietro, Caltavuturo, Castelbuono, Cerda, Geraci Siculo, Gratteri, Lascari, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Pollina, San Mauro Castelverde, Sciara, Scillato, Sclafani Bagni, Valledolmo) del progetto “I Art Madonie”, dopo il via alla prima “call for artists” aperta agli street artists, pubblicata lo scorso 10 maggio e con scadenza il prossimo 18 giugno, da parte di So.Svi.Ma., soggetto capofila del progetto “I Art Madonie”, ideato e diretto da I WORLD e finanziato dalla Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri nell’ ambito del Bando Periferie.

 Gli artisti potranno proporre opere digitali in 3D oppure semplici immagini, purché siano ispirate al patrimonio culturale immateriale del territorio madonita, cogliendone ogni aspetto che ne caratterizza la più profonda e autentica identità, che sarà restituita dagli artisti secondo loro libere interpretazioni. La Call prevede l’assegnazione di 50 premi in denaro così distribuiti: €2.000 per il primo classificato; €1.000 euro dalla posizione 2 alla 5 in graduatoria; €420 dalla posizione 6 alla 50. Info: http://www.iartmadonie.it/news/online-la-call-for-digital-artists-di-i-art-madonie/ . La “Call for Digital Artists” sarà aperta fino al prossimo 26 luglio e si rivolge a “Digital Artists” senza limiti di nazionalità.

Le opere digitali realizzate saranno fruibili in realtà aumentata, attraverso un’App prodotta appositamente per il progetto I Art Madonie. In tal modo, esse appariranno nella realtà nella modalità di una sovrapposizione in tempo reale nella videocamera dello smart phone, o tablet.
Le opere selezionate saranno geolocalizzate e fruibili spazialmente nelle piazze o altri spazi altamente simbolici, dei comuni partner, dando vita ad una vera e propria mostra itinerante di arte digitale nei “borghi immateriali”. Ogni opera potrà essere selezionata dagli utenti finali e dislocata nello spazio di fruizione – o in un altro luogo anche al di fuori del territorio delle Madonie –  a proprio piacimento, in tal modo essi potranno agire da “curatori” della mostra di arte digitale aumentata. Inoltre l’App consentirà di effettuare degli screenshot di immagini composte, realizzate inquadrando l’ambiente circostante con soprapposte le opere digitali. Queste “fotografie aumentate”, realizzate da utenti finali, potranno essere raccolte, pubblicate e diffuse su tutti i social.

 Tutte le proposte saranno valutate dalla commissione di valutazione composta da: Lucenzo Tambuzzo, ideatore e direttore generale progetto I ART Madonie; David Diavù Vecchiato, curatore dell’attività di arte urbana del progetto I Art Madonie; Chiara Canali, Marco Miccoli e Laura Barreca.
 Gli obiettivi del progetto sono: rigenerazione urbana dei borghi aderenti e creazione del sistema culturale integrato e diffuso dei Comuni delle Madonie; miglioramento della qualità del decoro urbano;potenziamento delle prestazioni e dei servizi di scala urbana, tra i quali lo sviluppo di pratiche del terzo settore per l’inclusione sociale; realizzazione e messa in rete di centri culturali polivalenti allestiti con attrezzature multimediali e contenuti immersivi; creazione di reti e networking, come la piattaforma Milleperiferie per la messa a sistema di progetti di rigenerazione urbana delle periferie; laboratori e attività di orientamento per l’animazione territoriale e lo sviluppo di competenze; realizzazione di interventi di street art e arte urbana con il coinvolgimento di centinaia di artisti internazionali; sviluppo di azioni di comunicazione e marketing territoriale.

Il progetto I Art Madonie capitalizza una metodologia ideata da I WORLD e attuata in circa 100 Comuni in Sicilia e altri Paesi del Mediterraneo che ha già visto l’organizzazione di un primo rilevante programma internazionale di residenza di artisti. I ART ha già prodotto quella che è stata definita la più grande opera di street art in Sicilia, presso i Silos del Porto di Catania e oltre 300 eventi multidisciplinari in 30 Comuni in tutta la Sicilia, tra cui: festival di teatro, musica, arti visive, cinema, letteratura, grandi eventi, conferenze, tutte impostate sulla reinterpretazione delle identità territoriali e del loro patrimonio culturale immateriale. Altri eventi sono in corso di preparazione nei siti Unesco di Petra (Giordania), Byblos (Libano) e in selezionati siti Unesco di Sicilia

fonte: https://www.rainews.it/tgr/sicilia/articoli/2021/06/sic-madonie-chiamata-artisti-digitali-opere-00ca5141-73ed-4023-8d9f-c8f3df0d7cc2.html

Vaccini digitali contro il COVID-19

la Realtà Aumentata al servizio delle aziende e degli operatori sanitari

Sappiamo bene come la pandemia dovuta al COVID-19 stia incidendo sia sulle nostre vite personali che sull’attività lavorative e professionali. Molti Paesi hanno attività tutta una serie di norme tese a limitare fortemente il modo in cui ci si può relazionare e il modo in cui si può lavorare. Le aziende si son dovute attrezzare molto velocemente per digitalizzarsi sia per evitare la cessazione della propria attività che per limitare i danni dovuti a questa pandemia.

Il Covid-19 ha cambiato per sempre i termini in cui lavoriamo e come lavoriamo. Le tecnologie digitali sono intervenute a sostegno di tutta una serie di attività come l’istruzione, gli acquisti e i relativi pagamenti, il lavoro agile, l’assistenza in remoto, l’intrattenimento. Vediamo come in particolare le realtà aumentata (una delle chiavi direttrici di Industria 4.0) può sostenere la continuità del business nonostante la pandemia.

Le misure di distanziamento sociale ci impediscono di viaggiare e di avere così dei normali incontri di lavoro. Lo stesso lavoro agile impatta fortemente sulla conduzione degli affari, sulla gestione delle operazioni e sull’intervento stesso di fornire formazione. E proprio la mancanza di formazione in presenza e di addestramento su prodotti e processi rallenta notevolmente l’aggiornamento delle competenze del personale. Sconvolta dal Covid-19, la catena di approvvigionamento (supply chain), il processo che permette di portare sul mercato un prodotto o servizio, trasferendolo dal fornitore fino al cliente, ha la necessità che i processi di produzione e di approvvigionamento diventino più flessibili per garantire la continuità della produzione.

Bisogna considerare anche l’avversione tra i lavoratori a toccare superfici e oggetti che potrebbero essere stati toccati da altri. Per affrontare tutto questo sono necessari strumenti e modalità di lavoro innovativi e che possano, non solo attenuare le difficoltà suddette, ma offrire nuove opportunità all’azienda di migliorare i propri processi di business processi industriali in ambito dell’Industria 4.0. Con questo termine intendiamo il ruolo chiave che l’elaborazione delle informazioni ha ai fini della rapidità dell’adattamento dei processi organizzativi. Più velocemente l’organizzazione riesce ad adattarsi a un evento che modifica le circostanze, maggiori sono i benefici dell’adattamento.

Saper integrare tecnologie innovative come la Realtà Aumentata (RA) può migliorare le condizioni di lavoro, creare nuovi modelli di business e aumentare la produttività e la qualità produttiva degli impianti.

Le restrizioni imposte dalla pandemia non permettono, p.es, ai tecnici di operare sul posto e di far funzionare, manutenere ed eventualmente riparare le macchine. Grazie alla RA possiamo operare in remoto in modo più efficiente e sicuro contestualizzando le informazioni che ci vengono fornite sovrapponendosi al mondo reale tramite l’utilizzo di uno smart phone, un tablet o gli smart glasses, aiutandoci così a risolvere queste problematiche in modo rapido ed efficiente riducendo oltremodo i tempi di fermo macchina.

Per quanto riguarda l’avversione in questo periodo di pandemia a toccare superfici ed oggetti che potrebbero essere stati toccati da altri, c’è da sottolineare che una delle principali caratteristiche della RA è quella di sovrapporre un’interfaccia digitale su macchine e apparecchi che possono avere un’interfaccia limitata o addirittura inesistente. L’operatore tramite gesti manuali e/o comandi verbali è in grado così di interagire con la macchina senza aver bisogno di toccarla fisicamente.

Nel caso degli operatori sanitari, questa applicazione della realtà aumentata riduce notevolmente il contatto fisico tra medico e paziente, pur consentendo allo stesso medico di poter comunicare con i colleghi al di fuori dell’area di trattamento del COVID-19. Un medico con visori per la RA può interagire con contenuti medici come radiografie, scansioni o risultati di test utilizzando i gesti delle mani o con i comandi vocali, mentre gli partecipano alla consultazione da un luogo sicuro. In questo modo il medico si trova a lavorare in modo igienico e controllato. Non ha la necessità di toccare nulla per avere i dati davanti agli occhi o controllare determinati processi.

Un altro aspetto rilevante è che la RA può anche essere impiegata per la formazione dei professionisti del settore medico, fornendo metodi altamente efficienti e interattivi in grado di snellire il processo di apprendimento di nuove attrezzature e di eventuali nuove procedure. Questo è di fondamentale importanza quando il personale esperto non è presente per motivi vari e i sostituti devono essere addestrati il più rapidamente possibile.

Come abbiamo visto in questo breve articolo la RA può supportare in modo sostanziale le organizzazioni e le imprese ad innovare i propri modelli di business e, per quanto riguarda il medico, quello rendere più efficaci e sicure le procedure in questo campo.

http://www.caosmanagement.it/859-vaccini-digitali-contro-il-covid-19

Apple inventa un sistema per evitare il “burn-in” negli AR glasses ed “Headset”

Qualche giorno fa l’ufficio brevetti e marchi degli Stati Uniti ha pubblicato una domanda di brevetto di Apple che si riferisce a una funzionalità progettata principalmente per “AR glasses” ed “Headset” che eviterà il cosidetto “burn-in” del display.

 

(Image credit: Martin Hajek/iDropNews)

Il burn-in è quell’effetto che, a seguito della visualizzazione prolungata nella stessa posizione nello schermo di un’immagine, comporta un deterioramento del fosforo dello schermo ( Il display è perfettamente funzionante al verificarsi di questo problema) con formazione di una cosiddetta “immagine fantasma“, un’immagine sbiadita che, indipendentemente da ciò che si visualizza sul display, rimane in sovrimpressione.

 

 

Operazione di visualizzazione basata sull’attività oculare

La domanda di brevetto di Apple riguarda un sistema di monitoraggio oculare progettato per rilevare “saccadi oculari” e battiti di ciglia e quindi apportare le modifiche necessarie alle visualizzazioni degli occhi in tempo reale senza che l’utente sappia che ciò sta accadendo in background.

Le saccadi oculari sono un rapido movimento oculare che porta una regione inizialmente periferica al centro del campo visivo (nella fovea). Gli esseri umani eseguono diversi movimenti oculari saccadici al secondo per utilizzare questa parte della retina ad alta risoluzione per guardare l’oggetto di interesse.

Durante saccadi e battiti di ciglia, la sensibilità visiva dell’utente viene temporaneamente soppressa. I circuiti di controllo dell’headset possono sfruttare la soppressione momentanea della sensibilità visiva dell’utente per apportare modifiche al funzionamento del display come ridurre il consumo di energia, apportare modifiche dell’immagine potenzialmente invadenti, evitare o ridurre gli effetti di burn-in, riducendo così il consumo di energia e migliorare le prestazioni del dispositivo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sopra l’immagine mostra un diagramma con un sistema di monitoraggio oculare può raccogliere Iinformazioni sull’occhio di un utente. Il sistema può includere componenti riguardanti il tracciamento dello sguardo, sensori di immagine, fotorilevatori e dispositivi di rilevamento della luce, altre componenti per il monitoraggio dei movimenti oculari.

Come con la maggior parte dei brevetti, osserva che l’invenzione non è limitata ai soli occhiali ma potrebbe anche essere utilizzata in sistemi futuri come display heads-up Mac, tv e altro ancora.

 

 

Mirko Compagno
AR/VR/MR Architect & UX/UI Designer
Innovation Manager MISE: Sistemi di visualizzazione AR/VR

 

 

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
fonte: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2020/01/apple-invents-an-eye-detection-system-that-ensures-future-smartglasses-headsets-will-avoid-screen-burn-in-more.html

Augmented Reality Solution Supports Surgical Trauma Care

A set of smart surgical glasses with functionality based on augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies brings a higher level of support to surgical trauma cases.

The Taiwan Main Orthopaedics Biotechnology Co. (Surglasses; Taichung, Taiwan) Foresee-X is a set of smart AR surgical glasses is designed to enhance intra-operative fluoroscopy image synchronization, primarily during orthopedic trauma procedures. Features include image enhancement functions, such as the ability to zoom in and out, allowing surgeons to concentrate on the operational field instead of monitors; reduced radiation exposure for the staff and patient; and improved accuracy by tracking the movements of surgical tools such as puncture needles, trocars, etc.

Image: The Foresee-X augment reality glasses (Photo courtesy of Surglasses)

 

The virtual and actual images are superimposed, and patient bone structure and tissues are fully visible through the smart glasses. In addition to improving overall surgical efficiency, the Foresee-X glasses can reduce OR staff radiation exposure by more than 60% compared to a mobile C-arm used for fluoroscopy. Foresee-X also allows outside observers to view procedures up close through tablet computers, as the device is equipped with an integrated camera with an 80 degree field of view that records video at 30 fps. The device can also collect data for academic purposes.

“The key to smart glasses is the algorithm. Since each person’s eyes have a different focal length, and with the addition of camera lens focus, synchronization would require the aid of high-performance computing,” said Min-Liang Wang, PhD, founder of Surglasses. “Furthermore, if the surgeon changes position during surgery, the image must be adjusted immediately for the new position. All of this can only be achieved by the development of cutting-edge technologies such as 5G and AR/MR.”

“Surglasses has been collaborating with hospitals in Taiwan and Malaysia to set up a specialized trauma center that includes Foresee-X as part of the equipment lineup. The smart surgical glasses are used for numerous kinds of orthopedic procedures including interlocking of nails, pelvic cases, wrists, shoulders, tibia, and many more,” said the company in a press statement. “With accuracy and efficiency as its main advantages, Foresee-X is the first of its kind on the market to provide cutting-edge assistance to surgeons and doctors dealing with trauma cases.”

AR is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input. It is related to a general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified–possibly even diminished rather than augmented–by a computer. As a result, the technology can enhance the perception of reality.

source: https://www.hospimedica.com/surgical-techniques/articles/294780520/augmented-reality-solution-supports-surgical-trauma-care.html