The AnatOnMe can project internal scans on to a person   Doctors worried their patients aren't sticking to their physiotherapy plans can now encourage them using a handy tool that projects X-rays onto the affected part of the body. The AnatOnMe is a hand-held device that is made up of a projector, digital camera and infrared camera along with a laser pointer.
The projector can display stock images of six types of injury directly on to the patient's skin or a model to help them understand the impact it has had on their body.
The detailed picture can include underlying bone structure, muscle tissue, tendons and nerves.
The doctor uses the camera to take images and video of the patient and document their progress as well as to check they are performing therapy exercises correctly.
The infrared camera allows the doctor to 'draw' on the image with the laser pointer.
They can then print out the pictures and create a file for the patient to take home.
The Microsoft researchers who developed the gadget on the Redmond campus in Washington, said studies suggested patients who had chronic conditions were between 30 and 50 per cent likely to give up on treatments early.
The team, led by Tao Ni, Amy Karlson and Daniel Wigdor, said they hoped AnatOnMe would help doctors encourage patients to finish courses of prescription drugs and physiotherapy.
They added that volunteers who reviewed the handheld projections delivered a more engaging and informative experience than a traditional consultation.
Amy Karlson from Microsoft Research Redmond, said: 'This is an interesting new space because, despite the prevalence of technology in many settings, technology has been relatively absent from face-to-face communication and education opportunities between doctors and patients.
'The coolest part was hearing positive reactions from study participants when we projected medical imagery directly onto their arms and legs.
'We got, "Wow!" "Cool!" and "I feel like I'm looking directly through my skin!"
'There seems to be something quite compelling and unique about viewing medical imagery on one's own body.'
The AnatOnMe device and paper was presented this week in Vancouver at CHI 2011, the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.