The future is really coming at us fast as surgeons have used the new Apple Vision Pro during an operation.
It seems like the headset can be used for more than browsing the Internet and teaching you how to cook via YouTube.
The team at the Cromwell Hospital, London used Apple’s mixed-reality headset to assist in two microsurgical spine procedures at Cromwell Hospital in London.
The opportunity was able to come around thanks to eXeX, a company who specialises in ‘AI and spatial computing for surgical and workflow organisation’, according to Digital Health.
However, it wasn’t the surgeons who donned the headset, but rather the scrub nurse who got to try the gear out.
Speaking of the collaboration and use of the device to Business Insider, Syed Aftab, a consultant orthopedic spinal surgeon who was apart of the surgical team, said: “Working with eXeX to use the Apple Vision Pro has made a huge difference to the way we deliver care to our patients.”
According to Aftab, the software was ‘seamless’ and ‘improved efficiency within the Complex Spine team’.
He added that he was ‘looking forward to seeing how this technology advances and the impact it can have across hospitals in the UK’.
While Kate Bovell, chief operating officer at Cromwell Hospital, said the hospital was ‘committed to innovation and improving how healthcare is delivered to benefit all patients, whether it is through harnessing robotic or AI technology, or using the latest, evidence-based approaches to deliver care’.
Sure enough, images of the surgery begun to circulate on social media – with many questioning whether this will be the future of healthcare.
“These tech innovations, if used well, could be a game-changer,” one user wrote.
“Apple and their expertise with sensors can have huge applications in medical devices.” another added.
“Imagine simple diseases or emergencies that could be identified with ring/watch.”
“A Perfect use case which proves technology can be used for good and important field like this where precision is matter alot to eliminate human errors,” a third wrote.
Since the Apple Vision Pro’s release, a number of various healthcare have become available on the market.
As well as surgical training, some of the apps also offer mental health support like providing ‘beautiful 3D images in a user’s space for focus, relaxation, or peaceful sleep’ or breathing exercises.
And Apple seem pretty happy with these applications as Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, said in a press release: “We’re thrilled to see the incredible apps that developers across the healthcare community are bringing to Apple Vision Pro.
“The imagination and drive of our developers, combined with the technical capabilities of visionOS, are igniting new possibilities for physicians, frontline workers, and even students, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
