Augmented reality (AR) is far from a distant dream in healthcare, Rafael Grossmann is the first surgeon who performed an operation using Google Glass as an aide. Further to this AR already has a growing database with the success of such games as Pokémon Go. AR uses a device (Phone/Tablet) to transmit a live or indirect view of a real world environment which is augmented by computer generated sensory such as sounds, video or GPS data. Below are our pick of the best examples of how augmented reality could revolutionise healthcare.

AccuVein– Helps nurses find veins easier with the use of AR

Vinny Luciano from AccuVein said 40% of intravenous injections (IV’s) undertaken by nurses miss the vein on the first try, with numbers increasing for children and the elderly. AccuVein uses AR via a handheld scanner that projects a red light over the skin and shows medical professionals where veins are in the patient’s bodies.

AED4EU – Save lives and find your nearest defibrillator

Created by Lucien Engelen by from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, AED4EU paired with layer reality browser uses augmented reality to project the exact location of the nearest deliberators onto your phone.

EyeDecide – Innovative app that allows patients to better describe their symptoms

Using the camera display EyeDecide can stimulate the impact of conditions on a person’s vision. For example the app has the ability to demonstrate the impact of Cataracts on a patient and help patients understand their symptoms and motivate them to make positive changes to improve eye care.

Zombies Run! – Get chased by zombies and stay motivated to stay fit and run

Running and staying fit can be hard to adhere to at the best of times. The Zombies Run! App takes advantage of augmented reality and uses it in a game to motivate people to stay fit and run. It uses both sound and images to give the impression zombies are chasing you pushing users to run. The app further allows you to track progress and create interval training missions.

Google digital contact lenses – A possibility in the future.

Digital contact lenses could revolutionise the way we look at the world and further help in providing information for medical conditions such as using lenses to potentially measure blood sugar levels in users. Looking further into the future there could even be the possibility of using these lenses to turn pages in e-books by the blink of an eye.