In contrast with the Virtual Reality technology where a user is completely immersed inside a synthetic environment and cannot see the real world around him, the Augmented Reality technology allows the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composted with the real world. It would appear to the user that the virtual and real objects coexisted in the same space.
Augmented Reality enhances the user's perceptions in the real world because the virtual objects, displaying information that the user cannot directly detect with his senses, help him to perform better real-world tasks.
The aim of this research activity is to improve the performances of a surgeon involved in a minimally invasive surgery procedure. By means of the overlapping of the virtual anatomical structures to the real patient's body, the surgeons have an "X-Ray" vision of the internal anatomy enriching the visual perception and enhancing their performance.
These systems can be used in the pre-operative planning or during the surgical operation of a minimally invasive procedure.