(Medical Xpress) -- Microsoft researchers announced this week a new handheld device that they hope will work as an aid for doctors and patients to better communicate injuries and recommended therapy treatments. The new prototype device is called AnatOnMe and enables doctors to project an image of the bones, tendons and muscles involved in an injury directly onto the patient's skin.
AnatOnMe is composed of two parts. The main component has a handheld projector, a digital camera, and an infrared camera. The second part of the device holds a laser pointer and the main control buttons. Amy Karlson from Microsoft Research’s Computational User Experiences Group located in Redmond, Washington says that the technology is actually low-tech but could provide many possibilities in the future.
The projector is capable of projecting stock images of an injury onto a patient’s skin to better enable them to see inside and understand the injury. The camera enables a doctor to take images of a patient to document progress and allow doctors to make notations. They can also take pictures of a patient performing physical therapy and note what they might be doing wrong or need to work on. This method allows the patient to better see how their body is working and what needs to be done in order to heal from the injury.
After an exam, the doctor is then able to print out the pictures and create a personalized file to show what has been discussed in the office visit for the patient to take home, as well as provide detailed information in a patient’s medical record. By making the visit and instructions more personalized, the hope is to better improve patient body awareness and communication between the doctor and the patient.
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