NEWS - Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Doctors to Use an Xbox Controller for 3D X-rays
The technology is being used by the Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX, and allows surgeons to survey their operations in 3D. BodyViz provides x-ray organ scan images in full colour 3D. The technology works by taking old black and white cat scans, MRI and CT data and converting it into vivid 3D images. Researchers created the technology by hiring video game programmers to help create 3D environments of the body.
Surgeons use the data to look inside a patients body and calculate the optimum way of entering the body before an operation. The technology helps surgeons prepare for operations in minutes instead of hours and offers much greater levels of detail and accuracy. The idea is routed in action video games and uses Microsoft’s Xbox 360 controller to allow doctors to surf through a scan and identify early signs of cancer, blockages in arteries and other ailments.
BodyViz is simple to deploy too. The software can be run from a laptop computer with an Xbox 360 game controller. The software uses widely used computing gaming technology and could be available in the next couple of years for just $6500 according to The Sun newspaper. There’s no indication from BodyViz yet on whether the technology could be used with Microsoft’s latest Kinect sensor. The Xbox 360 controller is simply being used as a way to navigate the software using a PCs USB port. Microsoft is expected to deliver official Kinect drivers and an SDK kit in the coming months that will allow developers to officially create applications that utilize Kinect. Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, promised Kinect for PC during an interview at CES and confirmed the company would announce official support "in the right time."
If you’re interested in how BodyViz works then check-out BodyViz’s website for more information.
Source: http://www.bodyviz.com/
