Virtual Reality in Real Life Medicine
omputer technology to improve medical practice using
virtual reality is one of the major goals of the National
Center for Biocomputation soon to be established by NASA and
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. A letter of
intent was recently signed by NASA and Stanford to locate the Center at Stanford.
New medical technologies developed at the Center will improve the ability of patients and surgeons to see outcomes before surgery is done; create a digital library of computerized "virtual patients" to be used to teach medical students and help physicians share information on uncommon surgeries. A virtual hospital could be established by the year 2000, according to some Center researchers, which may eventually link the best medical minds from around the country and world to treat patients, simultaneously benefiting long-term human space presence by assisting in emergency medical treatment of future space travelers.
This collaboration 'will help change forever medical practice and the teaching of science and medicine" which will revolutionize the way surgery is done, said Dr. Muriel Ross, director of the NASA Biocomputational Center at Ames.''The physician can go in the night before surgery and use the computer in a virtual environment to actually walk through the operation."
The NASA-Stanford biocomputational team has already developed virtual reality computer tools to aid in complex facial reconstructive surgery. Surgeons can use a big-screen workbench, special gloves, computer tracking wands and software to manipulate a 3-D computer image of the patient.
"The surgeon can work on the virtual reality image and replace the soft tissues to see what the patient may look like after facial reconstruction. If the doctor doesn't like what he or she sees, it's easy enough to start all over again," Ross explained.
"Working together, Stanford Medical Center and Ames Research Center can accomplish more than either could acting alone," Ross said. " But even our considerable resources are likely insufficient to take on and solve all the challenges that lie ahead. We shall seek out partnerships with other academics, federal agencies and industry to accelerate the day when use of 3-D and virtual environment technologies are commonplace in science and medicine as well as in space."
For more information, contact Dr. Muriel Ross at Ames Research Center.
Call (650) 604-4804,
Fax (650) 604-3954,E-mail mross@mail.arc.nasa.gov
or write NASA Ames, MS 239-11, Moffett Field, CA, 94035-1000.
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
Dr.Kevin Montgomery of Ames works
the virtual environment
boom as
Dr. Muriel Ross looks on.
The glove on Montgomery's right hand
allows him to manipulate the image on
the monitor. Eventually, the glove will
enable surgeons to "use"
surgical
instruments to practice surgery on the
3-D image on the monitor.
