Hologram Technologies - Body Inside a Body?

Dr Ashish Gupta founded the Queensland Unit for Advanced Shoulder Research and, along with a leadership team, applied with the Federal Government for an Arts and Humanities Research Grant (AHCRG). This grant was one of the largest ever awarded by the ARC to a research organisation. QuASR has since been awarded six more grants, bringing the total to eleven. Dr Ashish Gupta is now the CEO of the company.

The company's focus is on developing a highly customized prosthetic for shoulder surgery. Currently there are around fifty clinical trials ongoing involving advanced shoulder surgery, in both the public and private sectors. The goal of these trials is to better identify the causes and treatments of post-operative neck and shoulder pain and trauma, focusing on the management of the pain as well as how to prevent further complications during and after surgery.

To date the company has invested almost seven hundred thousand dollars in capital and six hundred thousand dollars in salaries and related perks. There are currently five full-time employees, half of whom are in the program at the University of Queensland. Dr. Said is the Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at UQ for Faculties of Medicine and Public Health. Dr Andrew Cammell is the acting CEO of the company. The company also has two Board members, Professors Mark Saundy and Ian Dobson, both from the School of Health Sciences, both also from UQ.

Dr Saundy's clinical background is largely in the area of orthopedic injuries, predominantly in childhood and acute care, but also includes a very senior role as a surgical director of the Royal Brisbane Hospital, now known as the Queensland University of Medical Science. His clinical research focus is to treat shoulder dislocations, shoulder injuries and deformities and to design rehabilitation programs and services to patients. He was previously a senior instructor at Koorie College, an articulation unit at the Queensland Institute of Specialised Teaching and Research Training (SIRT), an adjunct instructor at the Australian National University, a lecturer at Macquay University and a Research Fellow at Curtin University. Dr Sandy is also a member of the board of directors of the Orthopaedic Research Foundation (ORF) in Australia. ORF is a national body which brings together medical practitioners, caregivers and patients with the aim of improving the quality of health and the treatment of disorders and injuries associated with the musculoskeletal system. His clinical research work has been funded by the Australian Government's Chief Science Office, the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS), the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHRIC), the State Health Department and the Department of Education and Training (DETC).

In the lecture, Dr Saundy also touches on the latest advances in treating shoulder injuries and their relationship to the concept of mixed reality technology, which he explains using examples such as 'a body within a body'. Body within a body refers to a physical environment that enables people who experience this state to perceive themselves as if they are actually parts of a bigger whole. As one example of a use of this technology, he refers to it being used in the rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries in an attempt to realign the spinal cord and restore function to the limbs. He also makes a point of highlighting the potential for hologram technologies to provide a natural extension of the physical body for those who experience injuries.

In his talk, Dr. said the hologram was able to perceive and respond to physical stimuli and physical movements in the environment and this provided it with three dimensional capabilities. He made a further claim about the role that the medical profession had to play in the dispersal of this new technology across the Australian community, particularly in the way it is administered by health care professionals. The profession must be prepared to deal with any challenges that might arise because of the introduction of hologram technology into our everyday lives, according to dr said. In fact, he said that he personally felt that some of the greatest challenges would be those of educating the general public about the benefits of using hologram technology. This can be achieved through the establishment of a hologram awareness program, he added. More information on the program can be obtained from the Australian State Government's Office of Health Education, he noted.