A hospital in Japan has turned to virtual reality (VR) and improved camera technology as a potential solution to the research and education challenges posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
So far, there are over 6.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. The spread of the pandemic has not only caused health, social and economic devastation, but also disrupted education and research.
In some fields, learning is hands-on and there is no electronic substitute for observation or participation. In the medical field, for example, trainee surgeons who cannot access operating rooms due to social distancing and infection concerns could miss out on essential training for their future careers.
However, VR applications may be part of a solution to this challenge.
Tokyo Medical University is home to the Smart Cyber Operation Theater (SCOT), a next-generation treatment room that serves as a testing ground for new technologies that can improve medical safety, efficiency, and patient outcomes.
Robotics, data collection, and artificial intelligence (AI) have been experimented with at the center. And now, high-tech technology and VR have been added to all of that.
In a user study recently published by camera vendor Insta360, the company said that an Insta360 Titan camera, Insta360 8K Live software, and Hacosco VR solutions are being used to provide an “immersive livestream” for “medical students and other physicians [to] experience a real-time surgery from the surgeon’s perspective.”
Concerns about distancing and safety already limit how many people can be in an operating room at once, and now, COVID-19 has made it potentially impossible to train new surgeons and improve the knowledge and skills of existing doctors even more difficult.
A huge camera capable of recording and transmitting 8K video has been installed at SCOT, which provides the ability to see the entire operation via live streaming.
“At a time when COVID-19 social distancing protocols are limiting in-person classes, VR live-streaming can provide an immersive educational experience,” the company says.
According to Hacosco CEO Dr. Naotaka Fujii, VR videos provide a field of view that has not been previously applied in operating rooms, improving the image for viewers while not obstructing the surgeon's field of view.
