Open AccessInformatics in Radiology: Intuitive User Interface for 3D Image Manipulation Using Augmented Reality and a Smartphone as a Remote Control
Author(s) -
Norio Nakata,
Norihiro Suzuki,
Akira Hattori,
Naoya Hirai,
Yukio Miyamoto,
Kunihiko Fukuda
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
radiographics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1527-1323
pISSN - 0271-5333
DOI - 10.1148/rg.324115086
Subject(s) - fiducial marker , augmented reality , interface (matter) , computer science , user interface , computer vision , human–computer interaction , artificial intelligence , computer graphics (images) , medicine , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method , parallel computing , operating system
Although widely used as a pointing device on personal computers (PCs), the mouse was originally designed for control of two-dimensional (2D) cursor movement and is not suited to complex three-dimensional (3D) image manipulation. Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer science that involves combining the physical world and an interactive 3D virtual world; it represents a new 3D user interface (UI) paradigm. A system for 3D and four-dimensional (4D) image manipulation has been developed that uses optical tracking AR integrated with a smartphone remote control. The smartphone is placed in a hard case (jacket) with a 2D printed fiducial marker for AR on the back. It is connected to a conventional PC with an embedded Web camera by means of WiFi. The touch screen UI of the smartphone is then used as a remote control for 3D and 4D image manipulation. Using this system, the radiologist can easily manipulate 3D and 4D images from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in an AR environment with high-quality image resolution. Pilot assessment of this system suggests that radiologists will be able to manipulate 3D and 4D images in the reading room in the near future. Supplemental material available at http://radiographics.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/rg.324115086/-/DC1.