Jepang, kembali meluncurkan satu terobosan baru dalam bidang kedokteran : pasien gigi bisa melihat proses perawatan giginya!
Saya menonton berita ini tadi pagi, 30 Maret 2006 di NHK-saluran 1. Dan setelah melakukan pencarian di internet, saya menemukan berita ini dengan tanggal publikasi : Agustus 2005. Di dalam artikel ini, dikatakan bahwa proyek ini baru dimulai. Namun tadi dalam penayangan NHK, diumumkan bahwa terobosan ini sudah mulai dipakai di rumah sakit-rumah sakit. Jadi, dalam waktu tujuh bulan mereka berhasil memasarkan temuan yang baik dan brilian ini.
Beritanya saya copy and paste di sini saja sekalian :
Fortnightly Column: Team Tsukamoto's "Let's Go Wearable!"Part 3: New Style of Communication between Doctor and Patient
In this week's column, we bring you the Dental Project, an example of applying a wearable system in a medical worksite to aid communication between doctor and patient. This system has not only been tested by Professor Tsukamoto, but is already being adopted for other patients. The possibility of putting this system on display at Team Tsukamoto's booth at CEATEC JAPAN 2005 is currently being considered, so hopefully you'll get to see how it works firsthand.
Dentist Uses an HMD
Camera films inside the mouth
There are probably many people who, on hearing the word "dentist," imagine the screeching sound of a drill inside their mouths. Because we cannot see the treatment we receive while in the dentist's chair, the sound of the drill undoubtedly seems louder than it actually is. However, if patients were to wear an HMD (head-mounted display) in the chair, they would be able to see all the action."You've got a lot of cavities, 10 or so." These words were uttered to Professor Tsukamoto, Chairman of Team Tsukamoto, by dentist Hiromitsu Shimizu at his dental clinic in Otsuki, Osaka. The occasion was the reunion in March 2005 of the two men, who had been classmates at junior and senior high school. To celebrate the reunion, Dr. Shimizu gave Professor Tsukamoto a dental examination. This marked the beginning of the Dental Project.
Professor Tsukamoto goes to the Shimizu Dental Clinic every Saturday evening. Once he's in the dentist's chair he sets out a variety of devices. "Could you put these on today," he commands the dentist and the hygienist in a somewhat insolent tone. He gets them to film his teeth using a mouth camera, and the dentist explains the situation while both dentist and patient look at the images on screen. Dr. Shimizu says: "I used to have a mouth camera, but the way I used it, after I'd taken the photos I'd sit the patient up and explain what I could see. But if I use an HMD, I can explain what I'm seeing while I'm filming with the camera." He adds that this method will lead to greater operational efficiency.
Professor Tsukamoto puts a video camera on the table next to the chair and connects it to an HMD, so he can view his own examination. Dr. Shimizu remarks: "I suppose there are only a few people who would want to actually see their dental examination?" Professor Tsukamoto replies: "I disagree. It's just that they're used to not seeing what is going on. Once viewing becomes a matter of course I'm sure that people will feel frightened if they can't see what's going on." Meanwhile, Professor Tsukamoto is enjoying the sight of his teeth being scraped.
Can Wearable Computing Make Medical Treatment Enjoyable?
On another day, Professor Tsukamoto sits on the chair wearing his usual PC and HMD, and during treatment he begins to tap. A synthetic voice echoes around the room. "It's a little sore." "What?" asks Dr. Shimizu. "It's a little sore."It's extremely hard to hear the computer-synthesized voice in the exam room, where there is a lot of noise. However, a patient who is having his or her teeth treated is usually unable to communicate. Using a wearable computer makes this possible. Professor Tsukamoto says: "Since we're still in the initial testing stage it's not very practical, but I intend to make something that's easier to use."Although it would appear that using wearable devices has been considered for serious medical use, such as for surgery and diagnosis, there is probably a method that is more convenient and more fun for patient and doctor to use.
Professor Tsukamoto says, "The project has only just begun. It should be possible for wearable computing to play a part in facilitating more communication between patient and doctor in a way that is more fun." He tries out something new with each visit. The laughter of Professor Tsukamoto and Dr. Shimizu in this type of medical setting is too much. The enthusiasm of the pair is no doubt reminiscent of their high school days as one says to the other: "We should do a comedy skit." Professor Tsukamoto's cavity treatment continues.
(By Masahiko Tsukamoto)
Patient communicates using a PC
Dentist Hiromitsu Shimizu
Days in the Life of Professor Tsukamoto (the Master of Wearable Computing)
August 31:My KeyboardMy keyboard was playing up, so I bought a new one. My old one would turn itself on and off of its own free will. Maybe some of the internal wiring became disconnected. Or, was the mother board broken? The other day when I was participating in a panel discussion, my intention was to speak while taking notes with my keyboard on the table. But my attention was diverted to my keyboard because it was acting up, so my comments didn't make much sense and I made a mess of things. The total time was extremely short so I didn't get another turn to speak, although someone told me that I came across okay...My new keyboard was made by a different manufacturer. The size is about the same, but the response of the keys is extremely bad. I thought it might be defective, because I have to push down hard on the keys to make them work. It's hard enough when I'm using it at a desk, but it's virtually impossible when I'm standing or walking. At first, I thought the problem was my poor typing technique, but that can't be the reason because I can even type using an old typewriter. I was wondering whether to take it back to be repaired, but it'll take some courage to do that. Even in today's meeting, I was so caught up in pressing the keys that I couldn't concentrate on what was being said. I've found that the state of my input device makes a big difference to how well the day goes.
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ProfileTeam TsukamotoOfficial name: Wearable Computer Research and Development OrganizationAn industry-government-university research and development group involved in wearable ubiquitous computing and HMDs, spearheaded by Professor Masahiko Tsukamoto of the Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Kobe UniversityThe Team's ChairmanMasahiko TsukamotoProfessorDepartment of Electrical and Electronics EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringKobe UniversityTo people in the know, he is the Master of Wearable Computing. For better or for worse, Professor Tsukamoto is responsible for promoting the current image of wearable computing. He has been wearing an HMD in daily life for more than four and a half years. Those who catch sight of him once are not likely to forget him.Born in 1964, Professor Tsukamoto graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from Kyoto University in 1987. After obtaining a Master's Degree in Systems Engineering in 1989, he joined Sharp Corporation, where he worked as a research engineer. In March 1995, he joined the Department of Information Systems Engineering at Osaka University as an assistant professor, becoming an associate professor in 1996. In 2002, he became an associate professor in multimedia engineering. In October 2004, he joined the Electric and Electronic Engineering Department of the Engineering Faculty of Kobe University.
