Scientists at the University of Calgary have unveiled a computer-generated hologram of a human body, and they say the technology could help both physicians and patients.
Nicknamed the CAVEman by its creators, the image is projected into a cube-shaped virtual reality room. Viewers wear large black glasses to see the body's depth, as it seems to float right in front of their eyes.
The technology could allow a patient to see a map of their own body before going into surgery.
"If you're a patient about to undergo a quadruple bypass, you can actually look into the (room) and look into your own heart," said mathematician Andrei Turinsky.
"You can see all the ventricles, and the doctor can explain to you, 'There's a little thinness there, and there is where the instruments will pass through.'"
CAVEman's creators call the image "4D" -- it has height, width and depth, but also shows the effects of time on the body.
The high-resolution image can also be shrunk and rotated, or viewers can isolate just one of the CAVEman's 3,000 body parts, all by using a joystick.
Scientists spent the last six years developing the virtual body, which will also allow researchers and physicians to study genetic diseases and train for surgical procedures.
Inventor Christoph Sensen said the technology will improve care for complex diseases like cancer. Experts in different geographic areas will be able to view the same virtual body and talk about their findings, without ever meeting in the real world.
"What we'd like to do is get a unified model, where they all come to the same model and discuss it, and see what the best possible treatment would be for you as an individual," said Sensen, director of the medical school's Sun Center of Excellence for Visual Genomics.
Data from X-rays, CT scans and even blood tests can all be used to personalize the image.
"We have very powerful computer servers that compute the data, and merge the data together into one virtual model," said Turinsky.
He added that medical instructors could turn the technology into a sort of video game, to help students navigate the human body before practicing on real humans.
"It could be something like a flight simulator for surgeons," he said.
With reports from CTV Toronto and CTV Calgary
