Augmented reality has been helping nursing students at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) prepare for possibly caring for COVID-19 patients.
The technology provides a scenario where a patient has the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its various symptoms. Using a headset, a student can see a hologram of a patient, their personal information, and vital signs within the real-world room.
As the virus progresses, users can see how the patient deteriorates from being pre-symptomatic to the point of nearly being on a ventilator.
This allows students to develop their skills in assessing and diagnosing such a patient in a safe, controlled learning environment.
Watch a video of it in action here - https://www.sit.ac.nz/Portals/0/upload/Videos/COVID_HOLO_CUT4musci.mp4