Microsoft HoloLens To Serve As AR Tool For Doctors During Spinal Surgery

While augmented reality is often touted as the future of entertainment and mobile communication, the technology has the potential to be useful in a number of practical and professional situations as well. Case in point: Scopis, a company that specializes in technology for surgical purposes, has announced a new AR platform that uses Microsoft's HoloLens to aid surgeons operating on the spine.

Dubbed the Holographic Navigation Platform, Scopis' technology uses the HoloLens to give surgeons a hands-free display that projects information over the area being operated on. This mixed-reality overlay can include markings of where to place instruments, and important measurements or stats within field-of-view.

Scopis notes that the Holographic Navigation Platform is designed to improve both the speed and precision of spinal operations. For example, during multiple vertebrae fixation surgeries, surgeons can use the HoloLens to project an overlay of exactly where pedicle screws are to be positioned.

While the technology allows surgeons to improve the accuracy and alignment of their instruments, there are also benefits for patients as well. There's shorter and less invasive surgeries, in addition to reduced exposure to the radiation used in fluoroscopy devices, which are currently used in identifying the ideal position for screw placements.

SOURCE Business Wire