The medical field is doing really well when it comes to taking advantage of VR technology. Brain Surgery in particular seems to be a pivotal focal point.
http://www.businessinsider.com/virtual-reality-brain-surgery-2016-7
Notice the older Oculus DK and an XBox controller. When I see stuff like this and then read the complaints on this forum about: not enough video games, no hand-controllers means less presence/immersion, screen-door effect, FOV, red tint... I can't help but laugh at the huge gap between visionaries and the average end-user.
Even Augmented Reality (HoloLens) is undergoing serious study to aid in brain surgery. In a nutshell, certain procedures force doctors to rely on "flat" scans, where they end up making approximate guesses for needle placement. With AR (and VR), there is much less guessing needed.
The idea for HoloLens-aided brain surgery started with Duke neurosurgery residents Andrew Cutler and Shervin Rahimpour, who were searching for a way to help guide doctors during “blind” surgeries like extraventricular drain (EVD) placement.
EVD placement is a cringe-worthy, but often life-saving, procedure, designed to relieve pressure when excess fluid gathers in the brain. To perform EVD, a surgeon must quickly drill a hole through a patient’s skull and then stick a catheter – basically a thick, foot-long needle – into the precise spot where fluid has pooled. Doctors rarely have access to real-time brain imaging in these situations, instead relying on static CT scans and physical “landmarks” to place the needle.
These landmarks are usually pretty accurate, Cutler said. But not always.
https://today.duke.edu/2016/10/brain-surgery-may-get-bit-easier-augmented-reality
http://www.businessinsider.com/virtual-reality-brain-surgery-2016-7
Notice the older Oculus DK and an XBox controller. When I see stuff like this and then read the complaints on this forum about: not enough video games, no hand-controllers means less presence/immersion, screen-door effect, FOV, red tint... I can't help but laugh at the huge gap between visionaries and the average end-user.
Even Augmented Reality (HoloLens) is undergoing serious study to aid in brain surgery. In a nutshell, certain procedures force doctors to rely on "flat" scans, where they end up making approximate guesses for needle placement. With AR (and VR), there is much less guessing needed.
The idea for HoloLens-aided brain surgery started with Duke neurosurgery residents Andrew Cutler and Shervin Rahimpour, who were searching for a way to help guide doctors during “blind” surgeries like extraventricular drain (EVD) placement.
EVD placement is a cringe-worthy, but often life-saving, procedure, designed to relieve pressure when excess fluid gathers in the brain. To perform EVD, a surgeon must quickly drill a hole through a patient’s skull and then stick a catheter – basically a thick, foot-long needle – into the precise spot where fluid has pooled. Doctors rarely have access to real-time brain imaging in these situations, instead relying on static CT scans and physical “landmarks” to place the needle.
These landmarks are usually pretty accurate, Cutler said. But not always.
https://today.duke.edu/2016/10/brain-surgery-may-get-bit-easier-augmented-reality
In
this recent phase of VR, I think we have to hand it to Sony for getting their
tech into medical and brain surgery, with their HMZ-T2 (medical variant) being
deployed fully into many operations around 2012-3. Pre-dating this we also had the
use of Virtual Presence HMD's in medical conditions back in 1996-8.
Obviously,
the current applications are the most advance, and we have also seen Hololens
being deployed - but I would also point to the Sensics commercial HMD's being
used currently in military triage and medical deployments on a regular basis, but
less glamorous occasions.
this recent phase of VR, I think we have to hand it to Sony for getting their
tech into medical and brain surgery, with their HMZ-T2 (medical variant) being
deployed fully into many operations around 2012-3. Pre-dating this we also had the
use of Virtual Presence HMD's in medical conditions back in 1996-8.
Obviously,
the current applications are the most advance, and we have also seen Hololens
being deployed - but I would also point to the Sensics commercial HMD's being
used currently in military triage and medical deployments on a regular basis, but
less glamorous occasions.
https://vrawards.aixr.org/
"The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities"
