While only relatively new in the commercial market, the Apple Vision Pro is causing a big stir in many technical areas. We have recently learned of the Apple system being used in many highly demanding and complex environments, including strategic healthcare.

Suvi Verho, a theatre nurse at the prestigious Cromwell Hospital in London, used an Apple Vision Pro headset during a complex spinal surgery procedure, to assist the surgeon in ensuring they had the right equipment at the right time. Suvi used a bespoke app developed by eXeX to show her what was going on during the procedure and to anticipate the needs of the surgical team. The information was overlaid in front of her eyes and gave her an advanced view of what was going on in the operation and the needs of the surgeons as the operation continued. This was seen as a huge benefit to the team because Suvi was able to almost double-guess the instrument and care needs, making the overall procedure much more fluid and less likely to experience unforeseen issues.

Difficult Processes Made Easier.

Surgical procedures are typically highly complex and are almost unique in the need to have a number of specialist people carrying out individual yet linked tasks in a very confined area. This is an ideal scenario for technology. As surgical procedures head towards less invasive procedures such as keyhole surgery, the need to use technology to assist grows, and this is a perfect  opening for AR and MR applications.

As a medical-procedure focused company, eXeX are exploring how AR/MR applications and devices can be of increasing benefit to surgical teams. The company currently offer three different interactive tools to healthcare professionals:

• Creator X. With Creator X, a group of people can work together to design a digital surgical preference card that is optimised for AI. They have access to our extensive collection of tools, materials, and equipment, which numbers in the tens of thousands. Each operation, surgeon, and operating room has its own unique requirements, that can be altered as required.
• Viewer X. This is bespoke iOS software that provides scrub techs, operating room managers, and nurses with an easy and effective way to plan and execute surgical procedures.
• Experience X. This is a Mixed Reality programme that provides Scrub Technicians with a heads-up display that does not require them to touch the screen. It features interactive capabilities that can be accessed from within the sterile environment of the operating room. Suvi was using this app in the recent London-based operation.

The use of this kind of technology is being actively promoted in hospitals around the world because it significantly lessens the possibility of mistakes being made in an operation, and that can only be good for everyone.

An Explosion of Apps.

The company is known for its expertise in enhancing hospitals through the use of mixed reality solutions in areas where they are required, and this is not the first time that one of their products has been utilised in an operating room situation. Dr. Robert Masson, an American surgeon, utilised the Vision Pro in conjunction with the eXeX app in order to assist him in performing a complicated spinal treatment in the previous month. In order to accomplish something that was previously thought to be impossible to perform in a safe manner, the surgical team utilised the Apple Vision Pro in order to follow procedural guidance while they were inside of a sterile environment.

Apple themselves are keen to explore the use of their vision systems in complex fields. In addition to these medical applications, Apple has highlighted numerous others that utilise visionOS Medical Corporation to enhance medical practices. myMako has been developed to assist medical professionals in the process of planning joint replacement surgery for their patients. Meanwhile, Interactive holograms of the human body are provided by Siemens organisation Cinematic Reality for the purpose of providing assistance to medical students.

It seems that VR/AR/MR are going to become increasingly important in many different technical fields and application areas are only going to keep growing. If you have a great idea for how this kind of technology could benefit a technological area, or even if you just have a great idea for a development, why not contact us and see how we can help you.