Telemedicine
Advanced features are being added to telemedicine paradigms to enhance usability and usefulness. Virtual Interactive Presence (VIP) is a technology that allows a surgeon and patient to interact in a “merged reality” space, to facilitate both verbal, visual, and manual interaction. In this clinical study, a mobile VIP iOS application was introduced into routine post-operative orthopedic and neurosurgical care. Survey responses endorse the usefulness of this tool.
Surgical Assistance
UAB orthopedic surgeon Brent Ponce, M.D., performed a shoulder replacement surgery Sept. 12 at UAB Highlands Hospital in Birmingham. Watching and interacting with Ponce via merged reality was Phani Dantuluri, M.D., from his office in Atlanta. The two surgeons were able to discuss the case in a truly interactive fashion since Dantuluri could watch Ponce perform the surgery and simultaneously introduce his hands or instruments into Ponce’s view as if they were standing next to each other during the case.
Natural Interaction
Merged reality is about more natural ways of interacting with and manipulating virtual environments — by liberating you from the controllers and the nun chucks of today’s VR systems by immersing your hands — your real-life hands — into your simulated experiences thanks to readily available new sensing technologies.
