Fraunhofer iPad Augmented Reality App Guides Surgeons

Augmented Reality apps come in all shapes and sizes; some rest atop ice cream cartons to help judge melting times, while others simply show fun shapes. Fraunhofer MEVIS, however, aims for a loftier goal: using augmented reality to lessen the risks of challenging surgeries. The tool puts a 3D blood vessel map on top of a live patient that tells the surgeon whether it is safe to make incisions. Doctors who make the incisions can then easily determine the level and safety of blood loss based on the map. For now, the app is limited to Liver surgery, one of the more dangerous procedures in the medical world. However, Fraunhofer MEVIS sees the new technology applying to surgery elsewhere in the body.