The mixed-reality headset, which became available for purchase in the US at the start of February, has made its way into two spinal surgeries in the UK
Since Apple’s high-end mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro, was released on February 2, it has been used for different purposes, ranging from practical to unusual. Early adopters have worn it on public transportation, while eating a meal and even while driving—though that is very much ill-advised. And now, medical professionals have begun using the $3,500 headset in surgery.
A medical team at Cromwell Hospital in London used the Apple Vision Pro in two microsurgical spinal surgeries. Reports state that the doctors were not the ones wearing the device, but rather scrub nurses who typically set up the operating room (OR) for the patient and ensured tools were sterilised and ready to be used. They were said to have used the Apple Vision Pro to view virtual screens in the OR, select tools and monitor the progress of the surgery.
The software used by the hospital during the operations was developed by eXeX, a company that builds AI-driven apps and pitches them to surgeons.
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According to eXeX, its software provides nurses and technicians with holographic and touch-free access to surgical setup and procedural guides within the sterile field of the operating theatre. The access to previously unavailable data and visualisation significantly enhances surgical delivery efficiency, equipment accuracy and workflow, thereby improving the surgical outcome.
In a press release, Apple highlighted the headset’s benefits to the medical community, particularly its ability to enable healthcare developers to create new apps that were not possible with conventional hardware.
Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, expressed excitement about the innovative apps that developers across the healthcare community are bringing to the Apple Vision Pro. She highlighted the developers’ imagination and drive, combined with the technical capabilities of visionOS, as catalysts for new possibilities for physicians, frontline workers and even students.
The pioneering Apple Vision Pro-assisted surgeries align with several of the tech giant’s initiatives. The company is marketing the ‘spatial computer’ as an enterprise device for professionals, from artists to accountants, who could benefit from additional virtual reality screens. It is also making a significant push into healthcare across its various products, despite its health-related products and services, such as the Apple Watch’s heart-tracking abilities or the iPhone’s sleep features, being primarily consumer-oriented.