A Brief Take on Telesurgery Virtual Reality (VR) Telesurgery
Robotic surgery isn’t a new concept. There’s even a mesmerizing video of a robot perform surgery on a grape.
This is technology dates back to more than a decade, but it has just recently experienced the most changes. And it’s all because of Virtual Reality (VR).
Over the years, VR has evolved from being just experimental to commercially available. The technology is still nascent but widely touted as the next big thing.
One of its most beneficial uses is remote or telesurgery. Especially today with the newfound implications of 5G with VR. It’s a wonderful amalgamation of futuristic technologies knitted together to make one great tool of surgical perfection.
What was once limited to a separation of a few rooms, advancements have extended the distance to several thousand miles, where the surgeon has now the ability to carry a medical procedure on a patient, using the robotic tools mentioned earlier to operate at his command.
The surgeon works in a simulated environment within an advanced VR headset. Everything is in real-time, the feedback from prongs touching the patient relay back to the surgeon in a matter of milliseconds.
The entire procedure is performed miles apart, a touch that can save lives had never been so easily accessible.
Endless Possibilities
VR Telesurgery ensures people get medical assistance when needed. A lack of specialist surgeons on the ground often means people don’t get the lifesaving treatments they desperately need.
Telesurgery and VR have made it easier for surgeons to operate and communicate across international borders, where they can now share their skills with surgeons and even take matters into their own hands.
This isn’t about cool toys, or man vs machine either. It’s about the greater purpose it fulfills. Lives are at stake and when it comes to healthcare, even the slightest improvement in chances are warmly welcomed. And VR is proving to be more than just a slight improvement.
Hailing from a small hill station in northern India, Yatin Verma is an adventurer by day and Batman by night.
In his spare time, he manages the content strategy for a major multinational firm and around fast cars he exhibits a mental age of 8.
