Iron Man technology could help save lives

[Xomon]

Iron Man technology could help save lives
Posted on Wednesday, 1 July, 2015



At least one part of Iron Man's suit may soon become a reality. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 HarshLight
A real-life version of Tony Stark's augmented reality display has been developed by researchers.
In the Iron Man movies Tony Stark's high-tech suit is capable of overlaying helpful information about his surroundings on to what he is seeing to give him an advantage over his adversaries.

While most of the technology employed by the billionaire philanthropist is still rooted firmly in the realms of science fiction, researchers in the UK have succeeded in developing a similar kind of augmented reality display that could prove invaluable in a number of real world scenarios.

The system, which will be revealed in detail at this week's summer science exhibition in London, relies on a special microscopic slide which converts light from a camera in to a hologram.

"This optical technology is a game-changer for the development of augmented-reality devices," said Simon Hall, the lead scientist in adaptive optics at the National Physical Laboratory.

"The applications for devices that allow people to view the world around them overlaid with data relevant to what they are seeing are endless."

Examples of this include enabling firefighters to see an infrared view of a smoke-filled room or giving surgeons the ability to view crucial information during a complex operation.

"We've all seen Tony Stark's view of the world when he wears his Iron Man suit - information about his world projected in his line of sight," said Dr Hall. "Now we'll be able to experience it for ourselves."

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/news/iron-man-technology-to-help-surgeons-1.1878117#.VZO0KkaJJYQ

[Xomon]

Iron Man technology to help surgeons
June 30 2015 at 09:39am
By STEVE CONNOR

iol scitech jun 30 iron man SUPPLIED The researchers said it would be possible to use the holographic projections to provide extra information on objects in a person's visual field in real time in order to supplement their normal sense of vision using augmented-reality headsets - just like Iron Man's suit.

London - Scientists have developed a method of projecting 3D holographic images into the field of view of an observer in an “augmented reality” breakthrough that could one day allow the likes of surgeons and firefighters to benefit from seeing the world through technology similar to that used by comic-book superhero Iron Man.

The researchers said it would be possible to use the holographic projections to provide extra information on objects in a person's visual field in real time in order to supplement their normal sense of vision using augmented-reality headsets - just like Iron Man's suit.

Details of the research will be released at this week's summer science exhibition at the Royal Society, which highlights the best of British scientific research and technical innovation - from the latest studies into the origins of life to robots with human-like hearing.

Augmented-reality headsets rely on a British device similar to a microscopic slide, which converts light from a computer or camera into a hologram that can be displayed in front of a person's eye and focused within their field of vision.

“This optical technology is a game-changer for the development of augmented-reality devices. The applications for devices that allow people to view the world around them overlaid with data relevant to what they are seeing are endless,” said Simon Hall, the lead scientist in adaptive optics at the National Physical Laboratory.

“There are many things you can do with augmented reality that can assist people in various professions, for example a firefighter trying to get an infra red view of a smoke-filled room; or you may think of the surgeon wanting to get more information about the operation that he's doing from a colleague across the Atlantic - or simply helping the blind to see,” Dr Hall said.

“We've all seen Tony Stark's view of the world when he wears his Iron Man suit - information about his world projected in his line of sight. Now we'll be able to experience it for ourselves. We'll be working with the developers of augmented-reality devices on a wide range of applications,” Dr Hall said.

Other scientists displaying at the summer science exhibition have worked out a way of giving robots super-human hearing using a microphone that can zoom in on conversations within a noisy room.

Patrick Naylor of Imperial College said the technology would allow machines to understand human conversations in noisy places, by focusing on individual voices.

“At the moment, robots, phones and other devices using speech recognition don't work well when you're not close to the microphone or [not] in a quiet space because there's just too much noise,” Dr Naylor said.

The Independent

[Xomon]

The researchers said it would be possible to use the holographic projections to provide extra information on objects in a person's visual field in real time in order to supplement their normal sense of vision using augmented-reality headsets - just like Iron Man's suit.

[Xomon]

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/news/iron-man-technology-to-help-surgeons-1.1878117#.VZd4gFKE0e5

[Thorvir Hrothgaard]

Would be cool on car windows overlay road markings,speeds. Street names. Do away with traditional satnavs.

[It's A Trap]

Would be, except we'd need to have some type of computer control for the car. Some people can't drive now and look for stret signs, you think it would be better right on the windshield?