ARM

Augmented Reality Microscope

Augmented Reality Microscopy (ARM) offers a new path to digital pathology. By removing the need to use expensive and time-consuming scanners to acquire an image prior to digital analysis, ARM offers a cost-effective solution for accessing and displaying digital pathology applications directly within your microscope.

Augmenting the Pathology Workflow

By combining the potential of computer assisted diagnostics, with the proven cost, diagnostic and workflow advantages of the microscope, the merger of digital pathology within the classic pathology workflow is now within reach.

The biggest obstacle to pathology’s digital transition is the need to acquire a digital image. Photographing slides is cumbersome and doesn’t provide access to the entire slide, whereas scanning the glass slide is time-consuming and requires expensive hardware and software.

With Augmented Reality Microscopy, this inertia is removed…

Augmentiqs ARM is attached between the existing microscope’s objectives and eyepiece unit. An integrated camera captures images of the field of view in real-time, allowing the pathologist to continue viewing the sample through the microscope ocular lens. ARM can then overlay additional information including morphometric tools, advanced cell analysis and critical case data, onto the microscope FOV, without having to first digitize a glass slide.

Images From Inside the Augmented Reality Microscope

Augmentiqs ARM unit integrates seamlessly into all infinity-corrected light microscopes, adding a digital overlay on top of the regular view of the tissue. When pathologists look through the microscope eyepiece, they will see the same optical plane of the tissue with no degradation of light or optical quality. The augmented reality is well contrasted from the tissue, and can be easily turned off when toolsets are not required.

Note: The images below were captured with a cell phone camera held up against the microscope eyepiece. The challenge in positioning the phone leads to the grainy image and blurring around the edges.

Cell phone image of tissue with augmented reality module turned off. The augmented reality can be easily switched on and off, providing a completly normal view of the tissue via the microscope eyepiece.

Cell phone image of augmented reality menubar. The standard placement of the menubar is at the top and bottom of the ocular view, yet could be adjusted.

augmented reality microscope annotations

Cell phone image of augmented reality annotations and morphometrics. Any pathology software can be viewed inside, including cell counting, color segmentation and viewing of case details.

THE AUGMENTED REALITY MICROSCOPE IS USED IN PATHOLOGY LABS ACROSS THE GLOBE, HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF CLINICAL STUDIES, PEER REVIEWED PAPERS & INDUSTRY ARTICLES.

thepathologist-augmented-reality-microscope

“AR technology that offers similar applications without prior digitization of slides is a more affordable and cost-effective route to adopting novel technologies into routine pathology workflow.” Dr. Swati Satturwar

TIME & COST SAVINGS OF AUGMENTED REALITY MICROSCOPY

Augmentiqs has been the subject of a pivotal study conducted by Dr. Liron Pantanowitz at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Titled, “Ki-67 Proliferation Index in Neuroendocrine Tumors: Can Augmented Reality Microscopy With Image Analysis Improve Scoring?”, the study demonstrated how Augmentiqs ARM can improve clinical diagnosis with the use of computer-assisted diagnostics, costs less than alternative digital pathology technologies and saves considerable time in relation to other methods of quantitative scoring.

Key Findings From Study:

Based on our calculation of direct equipment costs, the ARM device is approximately 20 times less expensive than a high-capacity whole-slide scanner.

As opposed to DIA applied to whole-slide imaging (WSI), ARM is quicker to use, provides for the real-time and seamless integration of algorithms without the need to first acquire digital images, may be cheaper than buying a whole-slide scanner, and does not require special technical skills to operate.

Conclusions:

The Ki-67 index for NETs in cell block material can vary depending on the method using to score positively stained tumor cells. This difference can affect the grade of these NETs, especially for tumors with lower proliferation indices. Manual counting using camera-captured/printed images was the most laborious and time-consuming method.

By superimposing image analysis on glass slides in real-time, the AR microscope method simplifies and speeds up this task for pathologists.

BENEFITS OF ARM

AR device can be attached to and enhance almost any conventional light microscope
No change to the regular function or optical quality of the microscope
No need to digitize / photograph glass slides prior to image analysis
Less disruption to routine workflow in a busy pathology practice
Permits real time annotation, image analysis and AI based algorithm use
Image overlay with AR is an advantage over conventional digital modalities
Requires minimal technical skills to operate
No associated simulator sickness that may occur with wearable AR / VR devices
Possibly quicker and cheaper than a conventional whole slide scanner

FASTER WORKFLOW WITH DIGITAL PATHOLOGY & AUGMENTED MICROSCOPY

With augmented reality, the speed and capabilities of the pathology workflow are significantly enhanced.

While maintaining the speed and image quality of the microscope, Augmentiqs allows pathologists to access the most useful tools in real-time, helping them work faster while integrating computer-assisted diagnostic tools.

Here is a partial list of what pathologists are doing with augmented reality and their digital pathology capabilities.

Morphometrics
Artificial Intelligence
QuPath for quantitative IHC
Annotations
Viewing case details
Cell counting
Education

Augmented reality is enabling new possibilities in pathology.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & AUGMENTED REALITY MICROSCOPE

Artificial Intelligence (AI) carries many benefits to the pathology workflow. However, without the correct platform, these algorithms will find no inroad within the pathology laboratory.

With augmented reality of the existing microscope, Augmentiqs is the ideal platform for the running of pathology AI algorithms and other digital pathology applications. Cost-conscious labs that don’t make the full transition to WSI will still be able to benefit from the power of digital pathology & artificial intelligence, including computer-assisted diagnosis and other image analysis tools.

Augmentiqs is designed as an Open API system, allowing clinical informatics professionals, AI developers and other digital pathology software providers the ability to create and deploy their own algorithms directly within the microscope.

Learn more about how AI developers can utilize Augmentiqs.

Augmentiqs partnered with AI developer AIRA Matrix to perform the first preclinical study with an augmented reality microscope and AI.

AUGMENTING PATHOLOGY RESEARCH & EDUCATION

Augmented reality microscopy is ideally suited for education, offering learning that is more engaging, fun, helps explain abstract concepts, and can reach more people.

The Augmentiqs module can be placed under the multi-headed scope, providing augmented reality to all users and making it an ideal tool for education, consultations and pathology working groups.

All viewers will see the same optical view of the specimen, and as the computer mouse is passed around the table, each viewer will be able to make annotations, morphometrics or perform advanced cell analysis.

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