A complete AR-based training procedure with synthetic bone models was developed at OR-X, using augmented reality (AR) glasses. This is a substantial technical step towards a complete ex-vivo surgical training simulator for orthopedic surgery.
Our OR-X partner team at University Hospital Balgrist in Zurich, is developing this simulators as part of our Innosuisse project PROFICIENCY. They enable surgical trainees obtaining proficiency for the various orthopedic surgical procedures before working in the operation room and on the patient. Such simulators not only train for increased precision, but above all for dealing with complications in a protected environment such as that of the OR-X surgical training and teaching lab.
This will have a clearly positive effect on the quality of treatment for patients and will reduce the healthcare costs.
Michael Weinmann of SRF Schweiz Aktuell TV program asked at his visit of the OR-X (at minute 14:34): "Will robots be the surgeons of the future?". "Robots will increasingly be implemented for routine procedures, but surgeons will remain essential for monitoring the operation and will be used for demanding and critical surgical procedures" says Philipp Fürnstahl, the CSO of OR-X and partner of the Innosuisse-funded project PROFICIENCY, in the interview.