AnatOnMe in use during a physical therapy consultation

To explain the underlying cause of an injury, a physical therpaist can use the AnatOnMe system to project relevant anatomy imagery directon onto the site of injury on the patient. A pointing device held in the dominant hand can be used to point at important locations on the image, as well as to draw or annotate directly over the projected image. At any point the therapist can take a picture of the image and any annotations, so that the patient can review and recall the educational discussion later.

The AnatOnMe system consists of a handheld projector/camera unit (left) for image projection/capture and laser tracking, and a pointing device (right) used for camera functions, menu interaction, pointing, and image annotation.

To help guide the operational use of AnatOnMe, we conducted a formal lab study to evaluate patient learning and preference tradoffs when educational material was taught on their own body (A), a physical model of a human (B), or a nearby wall (C). The body was preferred by a majority of participants for being the most engaging of the three surfaces, the best for helping the participant understand the medical condition, and the best for understanding the precise location of anatomy on their own body. Projection on the model was also well liked, as it allowed participants to see the material from multiple angles.