Mt. Sinai's new AR tech overlays 3D models into surgeon's eyepiece
The medical heads-up-display inserts images into the microscope.
For the medical community, virtual and augmented reality offer the tantalizing opportunity to visualize hidden or blocked areas of the body. This year has seen some fascinating applications, from mapping a patient's brain mid-operation to livestreaming the actual surgery. Today, Mt. Sinai announced the first procedural use of the CaptiView AR system, a heads-up-display that overlays critical data and 3D models over the eyepieces in a surgical microscope.
The system "provides neurovascular and fiber-track information in 2D or 3D as well as on-screen video overlays visible" through the eyepiece, according to a press release. Integrating CaptiView into the microscope allows the surgeon to switch between live and pre-operative anatomical images using handle controls or a footswitch, smoothing out workflow. But this also enables tracking of focal points, so the system knows where the operator is looking and autofocuses accordingly.
While watching surgery in VR live might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's certainly cool to see a synchronized combination of assistive technologies actively mapping the human body during complex medical procedures.
