This week’s ResearchVR episode is a little more crowded than usual. During this year’s Cebit we met three experts working on the use of AR to improve surgery.
Thomas Bedenk studied Human Factors. After studies, he joins the software development wave working as a freelancer. That led him to start his game studio. After seven years in the gaming industry, he joined another wave, this time VR and AR. Now he is a VR consultant at Exozet Berlin, where he leads the VR / AR department.
Thomas Schüler is a recurring guest on our podcast – he was our first ever guest on this podcast, back in Episode 4. He did his Ph.D. about using VR technology in medical fields. Currently, he works on VR for engineers and VR for medical applications at Virtual Spice.
Igor Sauer is an experienced surgeon at Charite Medical University Berlin, where he is the Head of Experimental Surgery AND Regenerative Medicine Department. He is a tech savvy surgeon, always on the lookout for new technologies that can improve his effectiveness in his life-saving job.
Episode Preview
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the project at Charite Medical University in Berlin, where already today HoloLens is used during the resection of the liver.
The technology used in preparation for such surgery is already advanced. Based on MRI, CT and other scans, a 3D model of an organ are generated. The essential step for a surgeon is to learn the location of all the blood vessels, up to 5th or even 6th branch. It is not easy.
This issue is currently bridged using HoloLens. And it is surprisingly straightforward – a 3D model generated before an operation is placed above the patient. Whenever the main surgeon has a question regarding a blood vessel, he asks his first assistant, who is wearing the headset. The assistant consults the model and has the precise answer within seconds.
Listen to Using Hololens during real surgery – ResearchVR Podcast 42 to learn more about the current implementation and plans for the project expansion in NEAR future.
