November 2010

For immediate release

Academics give surgeons a helping hand

Academics at Leeds Metropolitan University are using cutting-edge

‘augmented reality’ technology to bring to life hand surgery, revolutionising the
training and explanation of procedures to surgeons and patients.

Nick Cope, Associate Dean, and Steve Wilkinson, Principal Lecturer, have
worked closely with a surgeon who specialises in hand and micro-surgery to
create an interactive game which involves operating on the hand to fix bones
and treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Using photos of all of the layers inside the
hand: skin, fat, cartilage, bone and nerves, the team have built a 3D model
which can be cut open, and operated on, live on computer screen.

The project is currently being developed with the use of augmented reality
technology: cutting-edge technology which has only been developed in the
past few years, using a piece of software called AR Toolkit. This technology
uses a piece of card with a unique design printed on it, called a ‘fiducial
marker’ (which looks like a random black design in a white square or, as Nick
says, a ‘fancy 3D barcode’) which allows a computer to make a connection
with a specific 3D model, such as the model of the hand, and identify its exact
location in space. Pointing a webcam at the marker, the computer recognises
it as relating to the hand and shows us the 3D model created by Nick and
Steve on the screen, rather like a hologram, and it can move around in synch
with the marker. Thus, by attaching the fidicial marker to a real-life hand, it
can appear on a computer screen as though the 3D model, showing all of the
layers and inner-workings of a hand, is actually attached to the person’s arm.
Dr Wilkinson presented a paper on the University’s use of augmented reality
to simulate a carpal tunnel operation at the 20th International Conference of
the Society for Medical Innovation & Technology in Austria. Augmented
reality technology can allow medical staff to project text-based data and
graphical 3D data onto a patient's body on a screen. This allows
improvements in diagnosis and treatment of patients and, for the patient, this
technology offers further potential in therapy, rehabilitation and diagnosis, and
explanation.

Ends

For further details please contact Carrie Braithwaite in the News and Media
team at Leeds Met on 0113 812 3022 or email c.braithwaite@leedsmet.ac.uk

Notes for editors:

 Leeds Metropolitan University has 30,000 students and over 300,000

associate students through its partnerships with 24 colleges.
 The University has achieved its best ever Research Assessment
Exercise results. Sports-Related Studies is in the top 6 institutions in
the country with research rated at the highest levels of 4* and 3*.
 The University’s award-winning learning environments include the
iconic Rose Bowl building, awarded Best Commercial Property
Development in the 2009 Yorkshire Property Awards; Broadcasting
Place, winner of the 2010 Leeds Architecture Awards New Building
category and the pioneering Carnegie Village student accommodation.
 Leeds Metropolitan is one of only a handful of UK universities to have
been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.
 The University is home to The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence for
sport and disability sport and is 2nd in the British University and
Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings.