If you thought Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) was only created to enhance your gaming experience or present to only click, play and hit Pokemon Go, then you underestimated the technological advancement making waves.
AR equipped with holograms has made its way to medicine. A new platform has been designed to proficiently use the invention of Microsoft HoloLens in order to assist doctors conduct surgeries related to spine. The Scopis Holographic Navigation Platform promises to make medicine reach out to more patients effectively than ever before.
The Berlin-based company has claimed that its new invention will use HoloLens with 3D tracking capability to make the spinal surgery faster by helping surgeons find the spinal screw position quicker during operation.
During the surgery, virtual monitors will be placed above the operation space. The system created by the medical technology manufacturer will then allow the surgeon to refer to charts and images at the same time of operating. This is possible because Scopis with its Navigation Platform gives doctor a hands-free way of referring to them.
Microsoft HoloLens’ unique technology that mixes virtual and physical reality has made this new way of operating possible. Its distinctive familiar finger gestures, stimulated through the use of holograms, will let the medical team or the surgeon control the AR content. As weird as it may sound, it would almost look like the doctor is pinching the air.
But apart from reducing the time duration of the spine surgery, how exactly could Scopis Holographic Navigation Platformbe beneficial? The company claims this new AR technology will reduce the exposure to radiation from fluoroscopy devices. Earlier, this device was used on patients to determine the prime position for screw placements during spine operations. As a result, not only the patients but in fact, the medical team was too vulnerable to its radiation. So besides from recording shorter times, the AR platform would also help reduce radiation that more often than not have side-effects in the future.
According to the CEO and Founder of the Germany-based company, Scopis Holographic Navigation Platform is a universal solution that offers specific advantages for spinal surgeries. “It can also be applied in the many other areas where the highest levels of precision and speed are critical. In neurosurgery, for example, brain tumors could be located faster and with higher accuracy,” said Kosmecki, adding that “the development of this holographic platform further highlights Scopis’ leading role in medical mixed and augmented reality.”
Ever since the tech giant Microsoft announced its HoloLens product people have noticed the rise in AR and VR technological usages. The technology promises to enhance the world around you, through better vision, feel and interaction in a mixed reality environment. An environment not only limited to your homes or the comforts of your living rooms but also your professional office spaces. Microsoft has pitched its newest invention as both a gaming peripheral and a practical assistant in the workplace, which with Scopis’ navigation platform can be understood isn’t limited to corporate entities.
Although it will take few months for not only Scopis Holographic Navigation Platform to be available for everyone but also HoloLens, which is due to release within few months and will be priced at $3,000, one thing is clear that mixed reality is here to stay. And will only see much advancement in the near future.