Applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Healthcare

Augmented Reality (AR) combines the real and the virtual and is interactive in real-time.In addition, virtual and real objects are registered in 3D space to pinpoint their positionsfor precise overlays. AR has been in the news a lot in recent years, mainly because of ARApps on smartphones. Augmented Reality has a lot more to offer though. Hardware setupsare versatile and range from mobile devices to immersive lab installations. Just as versatileare the application areas ranging from industrial uses (e.g., automotive, manufacturing),training and education, modelling (architectural planning), design, visualization (e.g., scientific,medical, and information), entertainment and more recently, the widening spectrumof possibilities in the medical domain, rehabilitation and therapy. An example of the latteris an EU FP7 ICT project on virtual rehabilitation - PLAYMANCER. It focused ondeveloping serious games for cognitive behavioural therapy - specifically for patients witheating disorders and pathological gambling, and on serious games for the rehabilitation ofchronic back pain patients. Rehabilitation for chronic pain follows a multidisciplinary approach,which despite the effort, often lacks long term success. Patients fail to translate skillslearned in therapy to everyday life. In order to encourage continuous training and ensureimpact at a wider scale when it comes to "Active Ageing", technology can and should beused to motivate people to exercise at home.