Emerging medical devices are seeing some major advancements on the surgical front. There has been an increase in medical training for surgeons, which places them in a virtual setting for practicing a wide variety of surgical procedures. With a rise in innovative advancements for VR (Virtual Reality) headsets in gaming, it’s only been a matter of time before the technology seeped in to other industries. Besides being used as a means to play immersive video games, VR has been viewed as a new way to experiment with alternative methods of training for professionals from all walks of life.
There are key differences between using a VR headset for entertainment purposes versus medical training purposes. Some of the critical training issues that surgeons must include in their training are ways to cut down their training time, use only the most up-to-date methods of surgical procedure, and be able to implement what they learn virtually in a real life situation. As it stands, some of the earliest methods of VR training for surgeons have had a few kinks to work out. Issues on translating virtual training into real time have been recently worked through, as updated immersive VR training devices have been emerging from various companies. With these updated virtual reality devices, complications that have arose between surgeons and their patients have been seeing a decrease since the VR technology was originally implemented.
The way that these immersive VR training devices are developed accurately is a complex process. As long as the overall design is taken into account in the development of the device, a series of possible hiccups can be answered in a timely manner and implemented into the overall design process. Designers have been collaborating with healthcare professionals, in order to perfect the program’s level of accuracy when applied to real time surgical situations and procedures. Collaborations with top surgeons, med students, nurses, medical educational professionals, surgical techs, and device sales professionals are all invaluable input that the designers must take into account with these training devices.
Some of the most major advancements in VR training for surgeons include converging to standalone headsets. Headsets have only just begun to converge to a standalone device. As of right now, a computer is required to be connected to a VR device via a wire and two controllers. This convergence to “inside-out tracking” will make it so the headset is no longer in need of a powerful computer to run it. Another improvement in the technology, as of late, has been hand tracking and haptics improvements. Finger tracking gloves are being developed, which allow for even more control over the already intuitive controllers that VR devices provide. These kinds of advancements are vital to achieving an even more realistic experience for surgeons, as well as all other professionals who rely on the most minute detail of control to achieve a desired result.
Top of the line companies who have and are continuing to develop these emerging medical devices have one main goal in mind; to make their product not only appear realistic, but to have the ability to be translated into an accurate method of educating surgeons. Surgeons everywhere have been enthusiastic about the possibilities that VR training can have on the medical industry. VR has only just begun to make its impact on how surgical professionals are trained and kept up-to-date on the most recent methods of practice. As long as advancements in the technology continue to be made for emerging medical devices, such as VR headsets, we can expect to see some exciting additions to the way surgery is performed in the future.
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