On the Suitability of Current Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Devices

Simulation is a recognized and much-appreciated tool in healthcare and education. Advances in simulation have led to the burgeoning of various technologies. In recent years, one such technological advancement has been Augmented Reality (AR). Augmented Reality simulations have been implemented in health- care on various fronts with the help of a plethora of devices in- cluding cellphones, tablets, and wearable AR headsets. AR head- sets offer the most immersive experience of the AR simulation as they are head-mounted and offer a stereoscopic view of the su- perimposed 3D models through the attached goggles overlaid on real-world surfaces. To this effect, it is important to understand the performance capabilities of the AR headsets based on work- load. In this paper, our objective is to compare the performances of two prominent AR headsets of today, the Microsoft Hololens and the Magic Leap One. We use surgical AR software that allows the surgeons to show internal structures, such as the rib cage, to assist in the surgery as a reference application to obtain perfor- mance numbers for those AR devices. Based on our research, there are no performance measurements and recommendations available for these types of devices in general yet