A team of researchers from the Virtopsy Project based at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland, has demonstrated a working concept which allows Microsoft’s Kinect device to help medical practitioners access data and images in the operating theatre.
The gesture and voice controlled prototype allows control of the OsiriX PACS (picture archiving and communication system). Check out the video in the main body for a demo and introduction.
The Virtopsy project is aimed at making use of new technologies for
the benefit of forensic pathology and other medical disciplines in both the pre-
and post-mortem fields.
The past 30 years has seen a huge increase
in the amount of images and data available digitally and increasingly medical practitioners
want to make use of the in a live operating setting. Currently to
do this requires them to touch some kind of interface, be it a
keyboard, mouse or touch screen. This can potentially compromise sterility and lead
to cross contamination.
The researchers say the problem could be eliminated with the
use of voice and gesture control, facilitated by everyone’s favourite hacked device – the Microsoft Kinect.