A Brazilian orthopaedist and traumatologist shares on YouTube a video showing how he used the Apple Vision Pro to repair a damaged tendon in a patient's shoulder. The US tech company's headset supported the doctor in the process.
What is the Apple Vision Pro?
The Apple Vision Pro is a so-called 'Mixed Reality' headset. Mixed Reality combines elements of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Whereas in VR, the user is in a fully virtual world, AR layers a virtual layer on top of the real world.
The Apple Vision Pro hit the market in February 2024. It runs on visionOS, an operating system developed by Apple specifically for the headset. The Apple Vision Pro is a completely standalone device. This is unlike, for example, the Apple Watch, which users pair with their iPhone.
Five sensors and 12 cameras
The headset features an aluminium body with a glass front. Users wear the Apple Vision Pro on their heads, with a headband ensuring the headset stays in place. The device features two 4K displays, with each eye having its own screen at its disposal. A total of five sensors and 12 cameras are present to enable users' virtual experience.
The Apple Vision Pro can be operational for about two hours on a battery charge. The battery is external and connected to the headset via a cable. For users who wear glasses, there is the option of optical inserts with lenses from Zeiss, which they can magnetically attach to the headset.
Watch via YouTube
The headset was used by a Brazilian doctor to perform shoulder surgery. In the process, the entire operation was captured by the doctor from his point of view. He shows how such an operation goes, and in what way a headset like the Vision Pro supports him in the process.
Using the headset, the doctor could, among other things, view the shoulder in 3D during surgery, and use this 3D view to mark the incision on the shoulder. The video also shows how the doctor virtually scrolled through his notes on the patient, which included various medical images.
Due to the nature of the content, to which YouTube applies age restrictions, it is not possible to embed the video. You can find the video here.
Previous surgery
This is not the first time the Apple Vision Pro has been used during surgery. Surgeons at the UK's Cromwell Hospital performed surgery with the Apple Vision Pro for the first time in both the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe in March. At the time, it involved two spinal surgeries using microsurgery.
The headset was then combined with AI software from the company ExEx. Cromwell Hospital uses AI technology from the company to optimise surgical procedures. Among other things, the combination gave surgeons access to holographic images during surgery. It also allowed them to access instructions without touching, among other things. Cromwell Hospital reports that this, among other things, significantly increased the efficiency of surgery, and helped improve patient outcomes.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Image: Apple
