Holoxica has reached the first stage in developing a glasses-free 3D holographic system for healthcare professionals.
With COVID-19 forcing millions of people to seek healthcare remotely, Holoxica’s holistic 3D solution, known as Holo-medicine, is designed to benefit patients - enhancing remote consultations, helping people understand their conditions and surgical procedures more clearly, and reducing the strain on the wider healthcare system.
NHS figures show more than 8 million GP appointments were carried out virtually in May alone. However, 2D videoconferencing appointments could mean patients struggle to understand complex medical information and are left feeling anxious or unclear about their condition.
Holoxica’s Holo-medicine suite will enable patients to be ‘in the room’ with their doctor remotely, without the need for expensive headsets or artificial environments. Clinicians can review ailments in 3D and make accurate medical diagnoses quickly – saving time and money; while surgeons can also share pre-operative scans and anatomical visuals in 3D with patients to improve their understanding and secure informed consent, helping reduce waiting lists.
Holoxica director, Wendy Lamin said: “Coronavirus meant remote consultations became a necessity, but the future of healthcare does not need to rely on flat and impersonal video calls. 3D telemedicine will give patients a real ‘face-to-face’ experience, from their home, care facility or local clinic. The broader Holo-medicine suite will give them more clarity and understanding. Holoxica’s technology has been designed to improve patient satisfaction and already has the support of NHS frontline staff as they seek post-COVID tools to help them continue to deliver expert healthcare.”
The Holo-medicine suite will combine off the shelf components, such as a depth camera and Looking Glass light field 3D display, and Holoxica’s proprietary software. This includes 3D Telepresence, Holoviewer to view anatomy models in 3D, and Volumeviewer to view medical scans in 3D.
In the near future, patients will be able to use their smartphones and tablets to show ailments to doctors in 3D. By storing the data in the cloud, the technology will make it easier for doctors to share 3D information with peers.
Holoxica’s background is in medical visualisation of anatomy for medical students. With the Holo-medicine suite, Holoxica is now moving to educating patients as well. Currently, medical science and training relies heavily on 2D imagery. 3D medical visualisation provides students and patients with a deeper understanding of the human body.
Lamin added: “We have spent more than a decade developing medical technologies that enhance the doctor-patient relationship using breakthrough 3D holographic visualisation.”
The funding to create the videoconferencing in 3D without the need for 3D glasses or a headset was provided through the government’s modern industrial strategy by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, focussed on innovation in response to COVID-19. The company is now looking for investments to develop the next stages of the holo-medicine suite and bring all the components together in one app.
