Augmented Reality Interface for Additive Manufacturing of Biomedical Applications

The digital divide has deepened in the last few years. The rapid pace of techno-logical progress combined with the focus on biotechnology and vaccines due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in less time and resources being given to supplying more fair access to technological innovation’s benefits. The developing world, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, (where most people have limited access to technology that could improve their lives), is affected by multiple issues that limit their ability to provide their populations with access to adequate healthcare services and biomedical equipment compared to developed countries. The advent of emerging technologies such as augmented reality and 3D printing supplies a unique opportunity to address healthcare inequities using innovative solutions to rapidly transfer knowledge and improve health outcomes. In the developing world, 3D printing technology can lead to the fabrication of cost-effective patient-specific models and the development of innovative implants. 3D printing technology has various uses in different fields of applica-tion in biomedical engineering. In pre-operation planning for complex surgeries, the technology has enhanced success by enabling surgery visualization and understanding of complex patient-specific anatomy prior to the surgical opera-tion. The technology has also helped educate trainee surgeons understand the complex 3D anatomy of different organs. It also aids better communication across different departments within a hospital working on the same patient. Patients are also able to understand the risks involved in their surgical procedure. This chapter supplies a brief over view of additive manufacturing (AM) and augmented reality (AR) and the application of these technologies in biomedical engineering. Possible techniques and applications using either AM or AR or both to develop biomedical applications in developing countries are described. The challenges in implementing practical solutions in developing countries are con-sidered, and possible strategies to overcome them are discussed.