Good news, guys! The dream has finally been achieved: A Microsoft research team has successfully created a working prototype of a portable X-ray gun.
Just imagine how easy getting test answers through a drawer will be, what a breeze mild voyeurism will turn into, how simple it will be to check out what the girls on campus are working with underneath their ... Just kidding.
The device is actually a handheld hybrid of an Optoma PK102 pico projector, a Microsoft LifeCam digital webcam, a FireFly MV USB near-infrared camera, and a Logitech R400 laser pointer which researchers have discovered creates a safe and portable X-ray machine that can be used to show physical therapy patients what's really going on inside their bodies.
The device, which researchers call the AnatOnMe project, was tested on 18 individuals chosen to participate in a test study group on the effectiveness of image projection on three types of surfaces during simulated therapy consultations. Out of the three types of surfaces, the AnatOnMe project kept the patients' attention the longest through the sheer novelty of seeing their insides on their outsides.
Microsoft Research's Amy Karlson explains, "People are notoriously bad at sticking to their physical therapy regimens." Injuries, as a result, take longer to heal, and it has been reported that between 30 and 50 percent of patients with chronic conditions fail to comply with their recommended therapies, an average that AnatOnMe hopes to curb with its new device.
"There seems to be something quite compelling and unique about viewing medical imagery on one's own body," Karlson said.
The device can also take photos during a consultation, which can be printed out and reviewed as an additional aid and incentive for the patient.
Developed on the Redmond campus in Washington and led by researchers Tao Ni, Amy Karlson and Daniel Wigdor, the AnatOnMe project was presented recently in Vancouver at ACM CHI 2011, the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
"This is an interesting new space because, despite the prevalence of technology in many settings, technology has been relatively absent from face-to-face communication and education opportunities between doctors and patients," Karlson said.
So, unfortunately for all the guys out there, research into a handheld X-ray gun has stalled beneath the moral implications of what havoc such a device would wreak upon the female population of the world.
But the good news is that at least when you bust your knee playing ultimate Frisbee, the AnatOnMe project will be able to show you exactly how long it will be until you're back out on the field.
