From his futuristic armor to his holographic interface, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, has redefined the idea of cutting-edge technology. What seemed to be a pure science fiction invention in the Marvel films today finds real echoes in medicine, security and even industry.
If I say “Iron Man” to you, you immediately think of the design of his nanotechnology armor, his thrusters or even his ARK reactor and its unlimited energy. However brilliant they may be, these inventions remain fictitious and therefore have little use. As you can imagine, there is an exception! One of Iron Man’s other iconic inventions is his augmented reality (AR) headsetwhich projects real-time information directly in his field of vision. This idea, which seemed futuristic, is today a concrete reality. There Vision Pro d’Applereleased last July, attests to this. Even if, between us, its application is more of a gadget than anything else, something else useful I mean… And that’s where Tony Stark’s genius comes into play! Technology companies and researchers have been inspired by its technology for years to meet critical needs.
In the field of medicine, Surgical Theater and Medtronic collaborated to develop SyncAR, an augmented reality solution integrated into surgical microscopes. This system allows surgeons to alternate between augmented images and real biological tissue without looking away. Moty Avisar, CEO of Surgical Theater, describes this innovation as a tool for doctors to see “beyond the tumor” and identify crucial anatomical structures, thus reducing surgical risks. This device, approved by the FDA, is already used in the United States and is being deployed throughout Europe. In September 2024, in Bordeaux in September, a patient suffering from a cancerous kidney tumor was operated on using augmented reality. It was about “the very first kidney surgery operation with guided caval thrombectomy” using technology mimicking that of Iron Man, reported Liberation. For years, augmented reality has found its place in health establishments (especially private) in France. At least, among those who have the means to finance them…
Across the Atlantic, Dr. Thomas Steineke, president of the Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center, believes that this technology significantly improves surgeon confidence. “This helps reduce human errors while improving operational efficiency, particularly in complex contexts such as neurosurgery”he explains to CNN. Dr. Timothy Witham of Johns Hopkins Medicine performed more than 50 interventions thanks to an AR headset called “xVision”, designed by Augmedics. This headset displays crucial medical data in real time, allowing surgeons to never take their eyes off their operating field. “Traditional systems require you to look away to view a screen, which is neither natural nor intuitive”explains Witham. With an accuracy of 98 %this tool promises to extend its applications to other medical specialties.
Fire soldiers, Iron Man version
Iron Man-inspired innovations aren’t limited to medicine. They also extend to emergency response, as shown the C-Thru mask. Developed after expedition to the smoky crater of the Masaya volcanothis device is equipped with a thermal camera and an augmented projection system. It simplifies complex environments by displaying green outlines of obstacles and exits. According to Menlo Park Fire Battalion Chief Tom Calvert: “The majority of firefighters who die in buildings do so because they get lost or can’t find exits. This technology could be a real game-changer,” he says to CBS News. Still in the testing phase, the mask is already considered a revolutionary tool by professionals, although it is not yet available on a large scale.
In France, similar devices have been tested last August. In Corrèze, the Limougeaude association of International Emergency Firefighters notably put to the test virtual reality glasses – connected to a drone and “allowing data and images to be sent in real time to a control center”relate France 3 New Aquitaine about this innovation intended to help better prevent and control forest fires in Limousin. “We can imagine later that these glasses would be directly integrated into the firefighters’ helmet”explains Razvan Purcarea, augmented reality engineer interviewed by the local channel. Before qualifying: “These are technologies still under development, because the project will end at the beginning of 2025. The exercises aim to finalize them”. Promising certainly, but still in the state of prototype SO.
Our reality, soon to be “augmented”?
Iron Man also inspired the engineering and industrial sector. Before Apple, Microsoft, with its headset HoloLensrelied on mixed reality to improve industrial and educational processes. In a demonstration, Japan Airlines showed how its engineers could interact with a 3D model of an aircraft engineallowing in-depth analysis without handling real mechanical parts. This technology is also extending to the military sector. THE IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System), a project supported by the US Department of Defense, uses thermal sensors and 3D maps to helping soldiers navigate hostile environments.
Maria Gorlatova, professor of electrical engineering atDuke Universityunderlines the importance of these systems while warning against their limits. “How can we objectively assess whether a tactical display helps or distracts the user?”she asks herself. The researcher is working on algorithms capable of evaluating the effectiveness of AR interfaces by analyzing eye movements and attention patterns. To be continued… If these innovations are promising, they also pose the question of accessibility. The high costs of equipment such as C-Thru or SyncAR currently limit their adoption on a large scale. And obviously, these scientific feats are mainly the result of geniuses who are very real and who we must encourage. Get that, Tony Stark!
Sources :
- Duke Pratt School of Engineering – “Protecting Military Personnel from Potential Augmented Reality Pitfalls”Maria Gorlatova, November 8, 2023
- CBS News – “New augmented reality technology could help firefighters save lives”Carter Evans, December 31, 2018
- Mint – “Mixed reality: The next big computing platform?”Leslie D’Monte, August 5, 2016
- CNN – “This tech uses augmented reality to give surgeons ‘superpowers’”Zahra Jamshed, June 17, 2021
- Le Figaro – “When Iron Man advances science and medicine”Marie Périer, June 30, 2015
- The Independent – “New ‘Iron Man’ augmented reality technology could help surgeons and firefighters, say scientists”Steve Connor, 30 juin 2015
You may also be interested in:
Did France invent superheroes?
Superheroes: what do they say about us?
Do superheroes have Jewish roots?
Superheroes: are children stronger than adults?
Knights: superheroes of the Middle Ages
