AR or Augmented Reality is one of the latest cutting edge technologies involving the coming together of the real world with computer graphics. Augmented reality can be best understood as having defined the field of study, providing description for many of the problems, and summarizing the developments to that point.
Augmented Reality can be usefully applied in a wide variety of fields, which include education, engineering, entertainment, manufacturing, and medicine.It is also widely believed that some other potential areas for application of Augmented Reality will appear with increased dissemination of this wonderful technology.
Before an operation or a surgery, a patient generally undergoes some preoperative imaging studies, like the MRI and CT scans, which give the operating surgeon with the required views of the internal anatomy. It is from these images that the subsequent surgery is planned.
The visualization of the path through the affected area’s anatomy is generally done by first building a 3-dimmensional model from the many different views and slices that are obtained in the preoperative study. The model thus created is then projected over the target surface to aid with the surgical procedure.
Augmented Reality can also be used in such a way that the operating surgeons can view the MRI and CT or other such data accurately in the operating room theatre, right when the surgery is going on. The enhanced accuracy of the data and the images at such a crucial time should significantly enhance their performance and should significantly reduce the margin for error.
Augmented reality also be very usefully deployed in engineering design. For example, when a group of designers are working on a model of a somewhat complex design for their clients, the clients and the group of designers might want to do a session on a joint design review even, even while they are all at remote locations. If all of them have access to a conference room equipped with the augmented reality components, this can be easily made possible.
The actual prototype, which the designers have created a design of, can be easily displayed at the different conference rooms in 3-D. The clients also get an opportunity to go through the design, while checking out the different aspects of it. can walk around the display looking at different aspects of it. While examining it and discussing about it, the client can give a feedback on the changes they want incorporated.
Another interesting aspect is that even before a prototype starts from being built, all the participants in their respective conference rooms, fully equipped with augmented reality, a computer generated image of the latest design is built from the CAD files.
