The responsive workbench: a virtual working environment for physicians

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Virtual Reality
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Traditional multimedia desktop interfaces limit interaction for professionals like physicians and architects.
• There is a need for intuitive, task-driven interfaces in specialized fields.
• Virtual environments offer potential for enhanced visualization and interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the Responsive Workbench (RW), a novel non-immersive virtual environment.
• To design a task-driven interface suitable for end-users such as physicians, architects, and scientists.
• To explore the application of RW in medical fields, including education, cardiology simulation, and surgical planning.

Main Methods:

• Development of a task-driven, non-immersive virtual environment where virtual objects are projected onto a real workbench.
• Integration of various input/output modules like motion, gesture, and speech recognition.
• Evaluation through three medical applications: medical education, a cardiological tutorial, and surgery planning.
• Comparison of the RW system with other virtual reality systems, such as head-mounted displays.

Main Results:

• The Responsive Workbench provides an adequate human-machine interface for professionals.
• Successful application demonstrated in medical education, cardiology simulation, and surgery planning.
• The system supports both a guide operating within the virtual environment and observers using shutter glasses.

Conclusions:

• The Responsive Workbench is a viable non-immersive virtual environment for professional applications.
• The task-driven interface design effectively supports end-users in specialized domains.
• Future enhancements should focus on further integration of advanced input/output technologies.