Dutch inventor develops groundbreaking medical projector
Dr. Stefan Hummelink invented a device that allows a doctor to project anatomical data directly onto a patient’s skin. The Anatomy Projector is the world’s first device of its kind – FHI report
The projector makes it possible to operate faster, more reliably and more precisely, explains Hummelink. The technical medical specialist works at the Department of Plastic Surgery of the Radboudumc in Nijmegen. The idea of the Anatomy Projector came about when he heard colleagues discussing how to better visualize blood vessels.
Error-prone
“In reconstructions, we often use the body’s own tissue, such as tissue from the abdomen to the chest,” Hummelink explains. “The biggest challenge is to correctly connect the tissue’s blood vessels to the rest of the vascular system. Without blood supply, the tissue dies. Previously, the plastic surgeon would view the results of scans on a screen before the operation. He would then search for the blood vessels with a Doppler device. This process was time-consuming and prone to errors. As a result, operations took longer and the risk of complications increased.”
Augmented reality
With the Anatomy Projector the practitioner projects the vessels and other relevant data directly onto the body using laser light. This allows the doctor to work more accurately and quickly. During his PhD research, Hummelink developed a patented prototype of the Anatomy Projector. Hummelink: “The current model now has the size of a tablet. The application works as follows: the plastic surgeon sticks four stickers on the area he or she wants to visualize. Then, based on augmented reality-technology projects the data onto the skin. After that it is a matter of tracing it over.”
Ingenious
Hummelink’s own experiences during surgery played a major role in the design. “You can come up with a really clever device; if it is not user-friendly, doctors will not use it. That is why we did not opt for glasses, for example. After all, doctors already wear protective glasses or magnifying glasses during surgery. And two glasses on top of each other is not practical.” … more
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