Future Applications 

In this section, we look at potential applications of MR in the future.

MR in Medicine

Doctors could use MR in future clinical operations. Patients' characteristics can be written into a virtual network for simple communication with distant doctors and quick treatment plans. Doctors can also retrieve patient data by viewing a 3D-like image instead of a two-dimensional one, which can facilitate teaching and remind their students what they should pay attention to during the operation [1].

Doctors and medical students are experimenting with MR to improve on limitations of VR for medical scanning and imagery. The biggest limitation of VR is that it works in a closed environment; making a diagnosis with VR requires a user to "move the data from the scanner, segment it, work with it, and make a mold" [2]. MR would allow doctors and medical students to visualize the patient's body in a real environment and improve the speed and accuracy of diagnoses.

In addition, since MR is able to present the patient's body in the real world, it helps patients and their families to better understand the condition, which enables them to make the right decisions for their medical care.

Sources:

1. Radigan, L. (2018, November 7). No. 6 Medical Innovation for 2019: Virtual and Mixed Reality for Medical Education. Retrieved from https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/no-6-medical-innovation-for-2019-virtual-and-mixed-reality-for-medical-education/ (Accessed: September 20, 2019)

2. Sascha Keutel, "Promising applications of mixed realities in medicine", https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/promising-applications-of-mixed-realities-in-medicine.html (Accessed: September 18, 2019)


MR in Education

Mixed reality has been investigated as a way of transforming traditional classrooms and appealing to students who struggle in traditional classroom environments. ACER, a multinational electronics company, held an Education Summit in Barcelona in May 2017 to show how the classroom experience could become more engaging with MR technology [1].  Additionally, MR can be used to interact with objects that existed thousands of years ago, such as dinosaurs or ancient ruins, thus providing a new, realistic image of these objects in our minds.

As another example, when MR technology is used in medical and nursing universities, it enables students to learn more efficiently and effectively. In November 2014, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Cleveland Clinic built a new campus for students to use higher technology in their studying process; educators believe that using MR to interact with academic content is the best way for students to learn [2]. For example, with the MR lens, students could feel and learn the structure of the human organs in 360 degrees and observe every detail inside the model, instead of observing through video. By the year 2016, CWRU and Cleveland had finished the development of HoloAnatomy, a software that works in tandem with Microsoft HoloLens to fully integrate MR into education [2]. The same application can also be adopted in art school for students to better understand the structure of the human body and achieve their imagination in the virtual world. This program is able to transform the detailed structure of the human body in 3D with real-scale size [2].

Source:

1. ACER, "Mixed Reality in Education: boosting students' learning experience", URL: https://eu-acerforeducation.acer.com/innovative-technologies/mixed-reality-in-education-boosting-students-learning-experience/ (Accessed: September 16, 2019)

2. Sue Workman, "Mixed Reality: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Teaching and Learning", https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/7/mixed-reality-a-revolutionary-breakthrough-in-teaching-and-learning (Accessed: September 20, 2019)


MR in the Military

Mixed reality can be used to simulate situations or circumstances that may be dangerous for the user in the real world. For example, the U.S. Army is currently taking advantage of VR capabilities to train their soldiers in virtual environments before deploying them to engage in real combat. The goal of this training is to "simulate anywhere on Earth that the army may someday battle" [1]. This can be extended to MR, where soldiers can interact with virtual objects on training campgrounds instead of in purely virtual environments. Microsoft secured a $480 million deal with the U.S. military to provide 100,000 Holo Lens headsets for this purpose.

The application of MR technology can greatly reduce the probability of soldiers being wounded in battle, especially from weapons like tanks, fighters, warships [2,3]. Soldiers can achieve ultra-remote control weapons to avoid large-scale attrition due to war. Additionally, the appearance of MR can also simplify the construction of weapons. For example, when aiming at the gun barrel of the tank, soldiers can adjust the direction of the gun barrel with their eyes, instead of with their hands [2].

Sources:

1. Dan Robitzski, "The U.S. Army Is Using Virtual Reality Combat to Train Soldiers", https://futurism.com/army-soldiers-vr-combat-training (Accessed: September 18, 2019)

2. South, T. (2019, April 8). Soldiers, Marines try out new device that puts 'mixed reality,' multiple functions into warfighter's hands. Retrieved from https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/04/08/soldiers-marines-try-out-new-device-that-puts-mixed-reality-multiple-functions-into-warfighters-hands/ (Accessed: September 20, 2019)

3. Cass, S. (2018, December 5). How Will the U.S. Military Use the Hololens on the Front Line? Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/how-will-the-military-use-the-hololens-on-the-front-line (Accessed: September 20, 2019)

Mixed Reality | CS3043 A'19
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