1 November

Medicine

Impacts in Medicine

Drugs Procedures Health Care Information

Medical Imaging

Diagnostic Better than exploratory surgery Ability to “see” soft tissues Produce 3D images from a large

number of 2D slices Assistive in surgery

Computed Tomography Medical imaging method that uses x-

rays

Magnetic Resonance Tomography

Creates images of the inside of opaque objects

Does not require radiation Excites hydrogen nuclei in water

molecules Distinguishes pathological tissues

from normal ones by density Image

Ultrasound

Easily portable Based on sound echos

Surgery Assistance

Laparoscopic Surgery Fiber optic system allows surgeon to

see through a video feed Uses long thin instruments 2001: first transatlantic surgery was a

laparoscopic gall bladder removal Laser eye surgery

Requires precise direction of laser

Remote surgery

Useful in Remote locations War zones

Requires Telepresence: ability to act as if you

were actually at another place Telerobotics: an agent at the other

end to perform the tasks

Virtual Environments

Usually requires head mounted display Displays images that you would see Adjusts the images as you move

Also: Haptic feedback Audio placement Smells

Virtual Environments: Other Uses

Training Simulators Urban fighting Emergency teams

Acclimation Overcoming phobias Preparation

Research at UNC

http://midag.cs.unc.edu/

Others

Pace makers Insulin testers and pumps Wheel chairs Design of prosthetic devices

Will we some day have a bionic person?

Health Care

Record keeping Preventive care

More diagnostic tests More vaccines

Administering drugs Billing

Information General

WebMD medco

Individual diseases Diabetes:

http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp Alzheimer’s: http://www.alz.org/

Nutrition and fitness