Barriers between disciplines prevent the creation of novel solutions for real-world problems. The Institute for Computer Graphics (ICG), led by Professor James Hahn, reaches across disciplines to overcome these barriers and solve challenging problems in healthcare using innovative digital solutions. Thus, ICG represents the diverse research interests of its members, who come from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science fields and a wide range of medical areas such as Radiology, Psychology, Surgery, etc. The interdisciplinarity of the Institute enables researchers from the problem-rich field of medicine to interact with solution-rich disciplines in engineering and computer science.
Prof. Hahn and his team have two active R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health. The first combines 3D body surface scanning technology and machine learning to develop an inexpensive and noninvasive way to assess the health of highly obese individuals, explicitly focusing on fat build-up in the liver. They recruited 250 patients undergoing weight-loss surgery to participate in this study and found that body shapes from optical scanners do provide valuable information about the medical condition of the subject.
The second addresses the low success rates for early-career physicians in performing the difficult and time-sensitive neonatal endotracheal intubation procedure. To reverse this trend, they designed an augmented reality mannequin simulator based on CT scans of an infant mannequin so students can watch their movements on a computer in real-time using a visualization algorithm. A machine learning algorithm was created to automatically analyze and assess the subjects’ performance. Such features benefit medical training using simulators where realism, situational awareness, and qualified mentor resources are insufficient.
These projects build upon more than a decade of digital health research Prof. Hahn has conducted. One of the primary roles of ICG is to run the Motion Capture and Analysis Laboratory, which develops and houses motion and surface capture technology such as the Vicon optical motion capture system and a novel instrument they developed with the help of a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant. These technologies enable researchers to accurately record the movement of objects through space and time in various applications that are also highly interdisciplinary.