Otago Daily Times

Tech allows students to see 3D images of human body

- KAY SINCLAIR

THE amazing world of augmented reality is about to enter nursing training at Otago Polytechni­c.

The polytechni­c is working with internatio­nal company Pearson, which has developed interactiv­e applicatio­ns that tap into Microsoft’s HoloLens, a headset which projects highdefini­tion holograms into a viewer’s surroundin­gs.

The cuttingedg­e technology allows nursing students to see 3D images of the human body, including organs. The students can highlight specific areas of the body and any of the organs and assess relatively common conditions they might not experience on clinical placements.

Nursing School head Ian Crabtree said the use of the interactiv­e tool put Otago Polytechni­c at the forefront of learning and teaching technologi­es.

‘‘It’s a very different way of learning,’’ he said.

‘‘And it better prepares learners for realworld situations. They can visualise what they are being taught, the theory they have read.

‘‘Imagine a scenario in which a ‘patient’ has gone into anaphylact­ic shock. The students can sit the ‘patient’ down and walk around him.

‘‘When they do that, they’ll see he’s got an injury on his back. From there, they can deduce he might be having a reaction to the antibiotic­s he’s taken for the injury,’’ Mr Crabtree said.

Pearson trainer Linda Bush, who is training nursing school staff in the use of the technology, said using the special untethered (cordless) headset, which had miniature cameras and screens, was ‘‘like wearing a computer. Basically, it’s an internal projection system but you see the image out in front.

‘‘Using the holographi­c images provides a sense of presence.’’

Several headsets allow students and their tutor to interact with the same holographi­c figure.

The HoloPatien­t is projected into the viewers’ actual surroundin­gs but only people wearing the headsets can see the ‘‘patient’’ there. If the HoloPatien­t is seated, those without headsets see only an empty chair, although they can see the same ‘‘patient’’ on a nearby television screen.

Mr Crabtree said that once the staff had been trained in the system, it would be introduced to secondyear students before the end of term and would be implemente­d more fully into the Otago Polytechni­c nursing programmes next year.

The polytechni­c is one of seven nursing schools to be part of an early adopter programme. The other six schools are in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

 ?? PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN ?? Now you see him . . . Nursing School head Ian Crabtree kneels beside a seated holographi­c patient, who is invisible to principal nursing lecturer Emma Collins although she is able to see both Mr Crabtree and the patient on a screen.
PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN Now you see him . . . Nursing School head Ian Crabtree kneels beside a seated holographi­c patient, who is invisible to principal nursing lecturer Emma Collins although she is able to see both Mr Crabtree and the patient on a screen.

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