On Wed., 2nd of Nov. 2021, 09:00 AM, M.Sc. student “Saad B.Younes” defended his thesis entitled:
“Virtual Hip Joint Replacement System”
The discussion committee included the following professors:
Prof. Dr. Abdel Karim Abdel Rahman Kazem / College of Information Engineering /Chairman.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Adel Abdel Wahab Ghaidan/ University of Diyala/ College of Science/ Member.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ali Majid Hassan / Al-Nahrain University / College of Medicine / Member.
Prof. Dr. Emad Hassan Abboud / College of Information Engineering/member and supervisor.
The student has fulfilled the requirements for obtaining a master’s degree “Excellent”.
Abstract :
Augmented reality is a technology-enhanced representation of the physical world. It is a combination of technologies that overlay images and digital data in the actual environment. While virtual reality is a computer-generated environment that deludes the user into believing it is real, virtual reality headsets totally dominate the user’s vision creating the illusion that the user is someplace else. Whereas virtual reality totally dominates the user’s vision, augmented reality enhances it.
The traditional learning method of medical education and surgical training is the focus of this thesis’s research. This thesis aim to assist medical students in learning human anatomy and surgical procedure in an interactive and enjoyable way, as well as to bridge the training gap that faces graduating residents. Therefore, this thesis proposes two applications: The first is an augmented reality application, while the second is a virtual reality application. Augmented reality and virtual reality were developed using the Multimedia Development Life Cycle methodology. The Augmented reality and virtual reality applications were developed using a combination of different software.
Numerous scenarios were developed for both augmented reality and virtual reality applications in order to accomplish the thesis’s objective. For the augmented reality application, scenarios included total hip joint surgery, diagnostic case, and interactive exploration of human anatomy and surgical procedure via the augmented reality portal. On the other hand, the virtual reality application’s scenarios varied from performing total hip joint replacement surgery using a 3D model skeleton and the entirety of a human body, to exploring the human body in an interactive and immersive virtual reality environment and conducting tests to assess their understanding of human anatomy and total hip replacement surgery.
The augmented reality application received a System Usability Scale score of (82.125), indicating that it is recommended and good according to the System Usability Scale range, and the virtual reality application received a System Usability Scale score of (85.444), indicating that the application is also recommended and good according to the System Usability Scale range. Also, for the virtual reality application, some participants in quantitative assessment got improvements of more than 50%, which is a positive sign. Based on the results of this study, the feedback was positive.
However, the existing application has some limitations based on the user’s testing results, which could be developed in future works. For Augmented reality applications, the application may include more interactive functions to make the student’s experience more engaging, and allow the student to customize the 3D model based on their patient’s information. For virtual reality applications, the speed of movements and light have no adjustment and the 3D models’ cutting location is pre-determined (the cut is not dynamic).