An Ohio-based company called Surgical Theater has developed FDA-approved technology for brain-surgery based on Reality Computing technologies. The capture/compute/create process involves:
Capturing images and scans of a patient’s brain using CT/MRI technology.
- Using that reality-captured data to develop an interactive 3D digital model of the brain with life-like tissue reaction.
- Creating a simulated operating room environment with that digital model to help medical staff practice the brain surgery.
In this virtual environment, which the company calls a Surgical Rehearsal Platform (SRP), the surgeon uses joysticks to control virtual surgical tools. The 3D platform can also be used in the operating room as a reference for the surgical team during the actual operation.
If you’re thinking that this sounds a bit like the medical version of a flight-simulator, you’re right. The company was founded by a neurosurgeon and two former Israeli Air Force R&D officers that developed flight simulation technology for the F-16. And just as flight simulators help pilots plan and rehearse critical military missions, SRP helps doctors plan and rehearse difficult surgical operations.
Check out this Forbes article or this CNN news video about Surgical Theater.
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