Holography in Medicine: Technological Advances That Save Lives
Holography is no longer the preserve of science fiction movies and video games. Today, holographic technology is revolutionizing the medical world, bringing significant improvements in patient care. In this article, we will explore how this technology is helping doctors and the major advancements to expect in the near future.
Understanding “Mixed Reality”
Mixed reality (MR) is a technology that merges the real world and the digital world to produce new environments and visualizations in which physical and digital objects coexist and interact in real time. Microsoft's HoloLens headset is an example of this technology.
HoloLens and Health
In 2016, Sopra Steria Norway acquired the HoloLens headset to test the potential applications of holographic technology in the healthcare sector. What started as a pilot project in a few university hospitals quickly grew into the HoloCare consortium, a global initiative to develop holographic technology to help doctors provide better care in various areas such as surgery, tumor localization, medical education and telehealth.
The Benefits of Mixed Reality in Medicine
The use of holographic technology in medicine has led to significant advancements. Here are some of the benefits of using mixed reality in the medical sector:
-
Hands-Free: Surgeons can now keep their hands free during an operation as the hologram provides specific instructions, eliminating the need to manually check devices like tablets or phones.
-
3D Imaging: Medical teams planning surgery can use HoloLens to project a 3D image of a patient’s body. This allows doctors to visualize the actual shape of an organ and “zoom in” on anatomical relationships, helping to detect problems more quickly and proactively identify potential solutions.
-
Navigation: Before HoloLens, surgical pathways could only be planned using 2D images overlaid on a map of the body. Today, holograms allow surgeons to literally place a map inside the patient’s body, allowing them to more easily navigate around certain tissue structures and avoid unnecessary damage.
-
X-ray vision: Holograms can also be used to observe the condition of organs or bones in real time. For example, a doctor can use holographic technology to see a patient's bone structure and observe their movements in real time, as if they had X-ray vision.
Evolution of Communication
Holographic technology will completely change the way healthcare professionals communicate with each other. Currently, medical science is based on 2D imaging tools. When doctors study the human body, they use medical diagrams and communicate their observations using words. However, holographic technology will provide healthcare professionals with a complete terminology of a disease or deficiency, without having to explain it in words, thus avoiding misunderstandings.
Holoportation
Holographic tools will enable volumetric communication across continents and time zones, a feature also known as “holoportation.” These techniques will transform the medical industry by eliminating the need for doctors and patients to travel.
The Challenges of Mixed Reality
Despite its benefits, mixed reality also presents challenges. Mixed reality devices, like HoloLens, rely on machine learning. While the ability of these devices to understand complex situations will improve greatly in the coming years, there is still a long way to go.
The Future of Mixed Reality
Can holographic mixed reality devices capture a wider audience and extend their influence beyond their specific applications in fields such as medicine? That’s a question that only the future can answer. However, it’s clear that holographic technology has the potential to transform many aspects of our daily lives, including how we receive medical care.
If you are interested in holographic technology, I invite you to visit my shop, HaloLight . There you will find a variety of holographic illusions, as well as other products related to holographic technology. I particularly recommend our Holographic Propeller , a great example of how holography can be used to create impressive three-dimensional images.
For more information about our other holographic products, you can check out our holography collection and our holographic projector .
