Earlier this month, Microsoft posted a video showing how Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) would
like to use holographic computing to teach medicine.
The deal between the two institutions was announced
back at Build 2015 along
with a demonstration on stage. While previous demos of the Microsoft’s mixed
reality headset had focused on fun ideas like a virtual Mars walk and a living
room-sized version of Minecraft, the Build presentation emphasized real-world
applications for businesses and education.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, CWRU is a private research university who plans to use Microsoft HoloLens to transform the way we teach anatomy and prepare future generations of doctors.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, CWRU is a private research university who plans to use Microsoft HoloLens to transform the way we teach anatomy and prepare future generations of doctors.
Here's
how Microsoft HoloLens could teach the next generation of doctors: students
could walk around anatomical models to see how bones, muscles and organs work
in the context of a human body.
“We’ve been teaching human anatomy in the same way
for a hundred years,” says Barbara R. Snyder, CWRU President, at the beginning
of the video. “Students get a cadaver, then they look at medical illustrations,
and it’s completely two dimensional—and the human body isn’t.”
The video also demonstrates how HoloLens can reveal
the inner layers of the heart for a clearer understanding of human anatomy.
Using
Microsoft device to examine a holographic heart
As reported by Fortune, Microsoft wants HoloLens to
be more than an entertainment device and is turning to academia to help
research how its augmented reality device HoloLens can be used for
business-related applications.
On July 6, 2015, Microsoft announced the launch of
the Microsoft HoloLens Academic Research Grant Program, which offers monetary
and hardware awards to five research institutions with a non-profit status, consisting
of US$100,000 and two Microsoft HoloLens development kits each.
The Academic Research RFP primary goal is to better
understand the role and possible applications for holographic computing in
society. Additional goals are to stimulate and advance academic research in
mixed reality and encourage applications of holograms for novel purposes.
Proposals must be submitted no later than 11:30
P.M. (Pacific Daylight Time) on September 5, 2015 and are invited from, but not
limited to, the following areas of interest:
- Data
visualization
Example: Using mixed
reality to make large data sets easier to navigate and understand
- Evolution of
pedagogy in STEM, medical, and design education
Example: Using existing
3D assets or new 3D assets for high-value training (e.g., interactive 3D models
for medical training)
- Future of
communication and distributed collaboration
Examples: Remote training
and support, first-responder emergency management, and virtual conferences
- Interactive
art and experimental media
Examples: Narrative
storytelling, new forms of artistic expression, interactive journalism
- Psychology-related
topics
Examples: Human
perception and human-computer interaction
- Solving
difficult problems and contributing new insights that are specific to the
applicant’s field
Microsoft believes that high-definition holograms
integrated with the real world will unlock all-new ways to learn, communicate,
work, and play.