Written by: Lisa Li
Microsoft HoloLens was a wearable device with a mixed reality holographic display designed by Microsoft, which could overlay virtual 3D images onto the real world, allowing users to interact with digital objects within their physical environment.
According to research that is Microsoft HoloLens 2 in medical and healthcare context (Palumbo, 2022), the author found that HoloLens 2 has been used in several medical areas including surgical navigation, human-computer interaction, gait analysis and medical education, tele-mentoring and tele-consulting.
Although Microsoft HoloLens has been discontinued, I think this trend in technology is very meaningful. The research also indicates the largest share of the application (about 60%) is in guiding surgeries, overlaying virtual medical data over real anatomy to assist precision.
Compared with the first generation, HoloLens 2 has made significant progress in several aspects, including field of view, weight, ergonomics, hand tracking, and eye tracking. These improvements clearly enhance the user experience. However, I think applying this technology on a large scale in hospital will still be difficult. Hospitals often have strict safety, cost, and training requirements, and introducing such advanced devices into daily surgical practice may not be realistic in the near future. In addition, surgery itself is a highly precise process. If users made a mistake to impact on patient in a surgery, it could be a big issue leading to a serious situation. For this reason, I think the safer and more feasible direction is to focus more on medical education and training for medical students. In this field, HoloLens can provide immersive 3D anatomical demonstrations, allow students to practice procedures virtually. In the long run, this may a new generation of medical professionals who are more familiar with AR/MR technologies and prepared for future innovations in surgery.
While HoloLens may not be ready to replace traditional surgical tools or become a standard device in operating rooms, it has the potential to reshape how future doctors are trained. I believe that with development of technology, the cost will reduce, which will make it possible to become widespread. By offering safe, and highly visual learning experiences, it bridges the gap between theory and practice.