A “New Era” in Surgery: Headsets and Holograms in Operating Rooms

A new form of 3D technology developed by the American multinational technology company Microsoft has made its way in operating rooms, and it could potentially become a useful tool to train future surgeons.

“Hololens is like a smartphone for surgery, it’s the performance and information tool that moves surgery into a new era,” says French orthopedic surgeon Thomas Gregory. Once the Microsoft Hololens 2 headset is in place, it’s possible for colleagues around the world to walk through holograms of a patient and talk through a surgery. “It’s almost a GPS for the surgeon,” says Tom McGuiness, executive vice president of healthcare for Microsoft.

Augmented reality has the potential to help doctors better plan their procedures and execute them with greater efficiency. It provides a clear image for image guidance since the view isn’t obstructed. Also, since images are clearer than words, the technology facilitates communication when different languages are spoken. Teaching could be improved as virtual reality would allow future surgeons to hone their skills by walking around the three-dimensional virtual recreation of an operating theater.